Shooting Star
by OstentatiousNature
Summary: My v of Breaking Dawn “Edward!”I reached out a hand to touch him, but I stopped—my hand hovering in the air between us. He then spoke in a dead voice that sent fear shooting through me.“Goodbye, Bella,” he hissed as he advanced towards me" Written b4Aug 2
1. Preface

Shooting Star

**Shooting Star**

A Possible Breaking Dawn

_By: Natilie Sawada_

Disclaimer: I do not own any of these characters, character relationships, or the circumstances they are in. They all belong to Stephenie Meyer, not me (though I wish they did! Especially Edward fan girl scream)

Author's Note: Please review. I wrote this before Breaking Dawn came out, and it is…not my prediction of what will happen, only a story of **what the plot line could have possibly been**. If it does match the plot line of Breaking Dawn by some odd crazy coincidence, it is indeed just that…a coincidence. It only means Stephenie and I both have messed up crazy imaginations. I'm using Stephenie's preface because I want it to be realistic (and it matches my story line). I'm doing my best to write like Stephenie Meyer…hopefully it sounds like something out of the book (I'm trying my hardest ) so please tell me what you think.

Also, I'm sorry I skipped over the wedding, but I just couldn't get it to sound right, so you'll just have to bear with the story the way it is.

(The preface was written by Stephenie Meyer, not me. I just wrote the rest of the story, so please don't sue because you won't get much out of me)

For my friends.

Without their support, feed back, and just plain grumbling about how I always end my chapters as cliff hangers, this story would have never found its ending.

And also, for their undying devotion to Stephenie's vampire empire—showing me that I'm not alone in my obsessive, worshipful ways

"In the clearing stands a boxer

and a fighter by his trade

and he carries the reminders

of every glove that laid

him down or cut him

'til he cried out in his anger and his shame

'I am leaving, I am leaving'

but the fighter still remains."

The Boxer By: Simon and Garfunkel

**PREFACE**

I'd had more than my fare share of near-death experiences; it wasn't something you really ever got used to

It seemed oddly inevitable, though, facing death again. Like I really _was_ marked for disaster. I'd escaped time and time again, but it kept coming back for me.

Still, this time was so different from the others.

You could run from someone you feared, you could try to fight someone you hated. All my reactions were geared toward those kinds of killers—the monsters, the enemies.

When you loved the one killing you, it left you no options. How could you run, how could you fight, when doing so would hurt that beloved one? If your life was all you had to give you beloved, how could you not give it?

If it was someone you truly loved?


	2. Chapter 1: Guests

Shooting Star

**CHAPTER 1: **_**Guests**_

Edward had promised.

He promised we would try while I was still human.

Then he got my brains all jumbled up to the point where I insisted we got married first. Well that was a fine plan in all…but it's kind of hard to get it on with your new husband when the Volturi crash your wedding.

And yes you did hear me correctly. The Volturi crashed our wedding…

It was after the reception party, so it wasn't technically the wedding they crashed. It was in the Cullens backyard (which was unrecognizable thanks to the decoration job—courtesy of Alice). In order to keep from exposing the Cullens, we'd planned the wedding late, so the reception would be after dark.

We didn't want the guests wondering why the Cullens had spilled glitter all over themselves.

Thank God Charlie, Renee, Paul, Jessica, Mike, Tyler, Angela. and all the other humans on the guest list had gone home. I had kept hoping and hoping up to the point where I reached the altar in the church, staring into the crowd of faces…but Jacob never showed. I felt like I was about to cry, but when I looked into Edward's eyes…his beautiful, soft, golden eyes…I knew I had made the right choice.

"I really would like to help clean up, Alice," I insisted, indicating to the toppled food table that I had upturned after a bout of the clumsiness I was always prone to. Edward's hand was comfortingly around my waist.

"Bella," she sighed, her gorgeous midnight blue bridesmaid dress hugged her delicate curves, "It's your _wedding_ day. You don't have to do any work!"

"She's right you know," Edward's voice whispered in my ear, blowing cool air on my neck, making me jump, "In fact, if you try anything resembling work, I will have to stop you immediately." I snorted.

"Yah, okay."

"I _will_ use force, if necessary," he whispered, low enough so only I would hear. "But," he relented, "I think you would like that a little too much."

"You know what everyone's thinking," I breathed, his hand on my waist was very distracting.

"Except you," he said. Thank God for that at that very moment, because all sorts of images flooded my mind…none on the innocent side of the spectrum. "Mmm," he murmured, brushing his lips across my cheek, "did I tell you how absolutely gorgeous you look today?"

"Many times," I admitted. He shouldn't be talking. He looked like a God in his stunning white tuxedo. My eyes raked over his perfect face for the millionth time since I'd met him. God, would I never get enough of him?

"Oh, Bella!" Esme called, her bridesmaid dress whispering softly as she caught up to us.

"Yes, Esme?" I asked.

"I'd just—just like to thank you so much." It looked like she was about to cry if that were possible.

"I haven't done anything."

"Yes you have." She looked back and for between Edward and me before pulling me into a tight hug. "Thank you so much for loving him," Esme whispered in my ear.

"It's not like I have much of a choice," I retorted, and she chuckled, turning to Edward and hugging him too.

"I'm just so happy to see the two of you together!" She said, turning to Carlisle who had walked up behind her, placing an arm around her shoulder. "Isn't this one of the best days of your life?" She asked him. Carlisle's cool gaze turned warm and soft.

"Congratulations, son," he said to Edward. I felt as if I was invading a private father-son moment, so I looked away.

"Thank you so much, Carlisle. This is one of those days where I'm happy to be immortal."

"Oh?" Carlisle's eyebrows shot up in an amused curiosity, "And why is that?"

"Because if I had died when I was supposed to, I would have never met her." The expression on his face made me want to kiss him.

"Kiss her, kiss her, kiss her!" Emmett chanted from behind us, Rosalie (looking stunning as always) on his arm. I blushed.

And Holy Crow, did he ever kiss me.

"Yay!" Alice clapped. "Hey, Edward, you know—" I never got to find out what Alice was going to say because at that moment, two pairs of hands grabbed my arms roughly from behind and pulled me away from Edward.

"Bella!" He shouted, rushing towards me. I saw black robes swishing around from behind me. "Let her go!" Then it felt like two pins were pressing against my skin, almost breaking it but not quite.

"Take one more step and she dies," the chilling female voice belonged to what I figured was the other set of hands. Edward froze.

My only thought before the panic set in was:

_Oh great, and I thought I __**couldn't**__ have a normal day with the Cullens._

"Dammit, get your hands off her," Edward's voice was low and dangerous, a growl starting in his throat. I could see red glowing eyes in my peripheral vision. They scanned the surroundings.

"Congratulations to the new couple," she snickered. "So sad we didn't get an invitation. I thought we were friends, Carlisle." Wait a minute…

My blood ran cold. That was Jane's voice.

"It must've gotten lost in the mail," Carlisle's face was calm, but his voice seemed the tiniest bit strained.

"What a shame. What a coincidence we arrived on the same date though. Looks like it was lots of fun. Great decorating Alice," She said coolly.

"Thanks," Alice's usually cheerful voice was dark and cold.

"My only problem being…" the fangs increased pressure the tiniest bit and I cried out.

"Bella!" Edward's voice called.

"…she's still mortal."

"Remember, Edward. One step and the girl dies." The male voice managed for form words while still keeping his fangs positioned on my neck. The voice was unfamiliar…strangely juvenile sounding.

"You wouldn't kill her. She's too important to you." Edward's low voice accused.

"True," Jane allowed, her red eyes luminescent in the moonless dark, "but we could turn her."

"You wouldn't," Edward's low dare frightened me.

"Oh wouldn't I? What a shame. Your love turned immortal by someone she doesn't even know. Sounds awfully familiar, doesn't it Alice?" Out of the corner of my eye I thought I saw Alice's hands balled into fists. "Jasper?"

"Get to the point, Jane." Edward hissed, "Why are you here? You are unprovoked. We haven't broken any rules. _You're_ the ones breaking code here."

"Be that as it may," her high voice said passively, "we are the top, after all. We make the rules, we break the rules."

"What do you want, Jane?" Edward asked savagely.

"Why, her of course." Her voice was high and cheerful.

"I'm sorry, but that's not going to happen."

"Hmm, actually, I think it is. You see, you're not really in a position to be making demands, Edward Cullen. I'm holding all the cards now, so I would behave like a good little boy, or else someone…" Edward yelled in pain, his knees buckling beneath him. I saw Jane's mouth twitch up into a smile, "…is going to get hurt." Alice rushed to his side, helping him up.

"Don't you dare hurt him," I whispered fiercely.

"Ah, ah, ah," Jane shook her finger at me, "don't move, dear."

"Jane, we've done nothing to upset the Volturi and nothing to bring on an attack. Now, I would suggest you release Bella before things get violent." There was an intensity in Carlisle's voice that scared me.

"_Before_ things get violent?" Jane asked innocently, as Carlisle grabbed his head, crying out in agony.

"Carlisle!" Esme shrieked, catching his arm and helping him back up.

Edward was still breathing hard from Jane's attack, but he looked over at Alice subtly. Alice's eyes widened the slightest bit and I thought I saw her head shake. Edward frowned. Then Alice nodded reluctantly. Jane's face was confused.

Obviously she wasn't as used to Alice and Edward's communications as I was.

"Jane…" Emmett growled, looking more and more like a rabid grizzly than a big teddy bear every second.

"Now, Alice!" Edward cried, and before I knew it, the pressure on my neck was removed and I was hurled into the air, caught by Jasper.

I looked over; a blur of pale skin and dark robes was twisting its way through the yard. I heard a cry of pain and saw a pale arm fly out of the whirlwind and tumble to the grass. Thank God it wasn't Edward's.

"Don't look," Jasper's deep voice ordered me, and I buried my face in his shoulder.

"Now, everyone, go!" Edward shouted, and Jasper picked me up as if I was a paper clip and tossed me through the air. I shrieked as the weightlessness caught in my stomach, but I was caught by stony arms. "Shh, it's all right, now, Bella," his soothing voice assured me.

"Next time we meet, Edward Cullen," Jane's high voice shrieked, "her heart will be stopped one way or another!" Edward didn't look back.

We ran like heck. Well Edward and the rest of the Cullens did (I piggybacked).

A coupled of minutes later we stopped in the mountains, all of us still in our formal wear." Jasper's watch told us it was around 1:00 AM. Edward hugged me tightly, kissing me all over.

"I love you so much, Bella," he whispered.

"I know." The run had caught my dress on a number of things so the hem was torn and the sleeves had stains on them. "Oh, Alice, your beautiful dress…"

"Its okay, Bella," she said, tearing me away from Edward to hug me herself, "We're all just glad you're okay." Edward stole me back.

"You still look gorgeous."

"Thank you," I whispered, kissing him softly.

"And I'm sorry, Bella," his voice was sad, apologetic, and a little disappointed. I was confused.

"About what?" I asked. He leaned in to whisper just to me.

"We won't get to have our wedding night together,"

"Ah, shoot, that's right. Dang it!"

"I'm sorry," he whispered, his lips trailing across my face.

"It's not your fault," I said, brushing his beautiful wind swept hair away from his eyes. "Unless you called the Volturi yourself and said: "Hey, guys, c'mon over, we're havin' a weddin'!"" Edward chuckled.

"Nice southern accent."

"Thank you. I practice."

"Rosalie is going to go get a tent in Port Angeles. It's too dangerous for us to go back tonight or maybe even tomorrow night," Carlisle said, undoing his tie. "Esme, Emmett, Rosalie, and I will share a tent, and Edward, Bella, Alice, and Jasper will share one."

"Ah crap," I groaned. "I won't get you all to myself for _days_!"

"I'm sorry," he apologized.

"Stop saying sorry," I commanded.

"Sorry," he said, kissing me with a smile. "I don't suppose we could get away with it tonight?" I shook my head.

"I don't think Alice and Jasper would appreciate hearing us moaning all night."

"No thank you," Jasper's cool voice said.

Edward and I just laughed.


	3. Chapter 2: Questions

Shooting Star

**CHAPTER 2: **_**Questions**_

I had a hard time falling asleep that night, despite being in Edward's arms. I was at the edge of consciousness when I heard them start to talk. Edward stayed still, his arms around me, although I knew he was listening too. It was obvious he thought I was asleep.

"What happened, Carlisle?" I heard Jasper ask outside the tent.

"I don't know," his cool voice was worried. "Alice, did you see anything?"

"No," her voice was soft, horrified. "There was no warning. Aro made no plans. Neither did Caius, Marcus, or Heidi."

"_There were three of them originally, Aro, Caius, and Marcus,_" I remembered Alice saying. "_Two females joined them over time, and the five make up the family._" Were the two females Jane and Heidi?

"No warning at all…" Alice repeated, her voice still shocked. Emmett's low voice jumped into the discussion.

"Do you think Jane acted on her own?"

"She wouldn't go against Aro. Besides, she didn't make plans either," Alice answered.

"How could this be?" That was Esme's voice.

"Do you think they could be using the same trick Victoria used?" Jasper asked, referring to the previous summer when Victoria had built an army of newborn vampires, keeping them in the dark of her plans so Alice couldn't pick up a future.

"No," Alice said, "it would be impossible. They couldn't have made it all the way here in time without me seeing something."

"How come we didn't sense anything?" Emmett asked, annoyance in his voice, "How were they able to just pop out of thin air and grab Bella like that?"

"I don't know that either," Carlisle admitted.

"Who was the other with Jane?" Esme asked, "The one about to bite Bella?" I felt Edward's arms stiffen around me.

"He was new," Alice said. "When I was in Italy, there was no such scent near any of the Volturi."

"Wouldn't you have seen if they'd decided to initiate a new guardsman?" Carlisle asked.

"It depends," Alice's high voice replied, "If they were going to use him specifically to get to us, yes. But if it was just adding a new member in general, I might not have picked it up. I'm watching too many things."

"But that still doesn't explain how they got so close," Emmett said. "And why Jane only brought one other. Obviously they're strong, but there are seven of us."

"Yes, that is strange," Carlisle agreed. "There must be something about the other male she had with her."

"I couldn't sense the aura around him," Jasper admitted.

"Really?" Esme asked, her voice surprised.

"You couldn't feel his mood, Alice couldn't see him, and none of us could sense him coming…" Carlisle trailed off thoughtfully, "I wonder if Edward could read his thoughts. If not we have a very rare creature on our hands."

"I couldn't," Edward's voice was barely a whisper. He thought I was asleep, no doubt. But the other vampires outside the tent could hear. "Yes," Edward answered a question I didn't hear. "It was just like with Bella."

"That means he nullified all of your abilities," Carlisle said.

"Is that _his_ ability?" Jasper asked.

"Possibly."

"Is that why the Volturi recruited him?" Emmett asked.

"All of your abilities are our family's strongest advantage," Esme said, "if they don't work on this one vampire anymore…" I stopped breathing.

"I know you're awake, Bella," Edward's voice murmured in my ear. The voices outside the tent abruptly stopped.

"Dang it," I flinched.

"As long as your awake, we might as well go out and join them," Edward said. I was surprised. He usually was keeping me away from top secret meetings about things involving my death.

"You're letting me in on everything this time," I pointed out with surprise.

"You made me promise," he said. I sat up, twisting around so I could see his face.

"When was this?" I asked. He sighed, sitting up, his face parallel to mine. He turned, his eyes glowing in the dim light.

"Remember the note in English class we wrote? Before the newborns and Victoria," his jaw tensed at her name, but he continued, "when we almost got into a fight with the werewolves?"

"Yes," I said, nodding.

"And I quote: "You _will_ tell me next time."" He shrugged. "I make good on my promises to you…" he grinned, "whether you remember them or not." I stuck my tongue out at him. Edward grinned.

We both stood up, and Edward unzipped the tent. I ducked through the opening and saw the other six members of the Cullen family standing around the empty fire pit. The moonlight was bright tonight so their skin didn't exactly sparkle…but glowed dimly. Behind me, I heard Edward zip the tent shut. Their faces were grim, cast in shadow, but still more dazzling than any human faces I'd ever seen.

"How much did you hear, Bella?" Carlisle asked in a smooth voice. None of them were mad, as I expected them to be for my eavesdropping.

"Pretty much all of it," I admitted. Despite the darkness, I was sure their sharp eyes could pick up my blush.

"That's good," Carlisle said to my surprise, "We won't have to repeat anything." There was a slight pause before Edward, now at my side, spoke.

"So there's a Volturi guardsman who can cancel out all other vampire abilities?"  
"It certainly seems that way."

"Why does he want..." I gulped, my voice sounding hoarse, "me?"

"I'm not sure," Carlisle admitted.

"Aro showed a clear interest in her when we were in Italy," Alice spoke up.

"But he also expressed interest in _us_, Alice," Edward said, his face a stony mask. "Why would he go specifically after Bella?"

"Maybe he wanted to use her as bait," Jasper suggested. Edward tensed beside me. "Perhaps he wanted to bargain: He gets your service, you get her alive."

I remembered Italy…the image I'd had when Aro suggested Edward and Alice join him….Both of them drifting along at Aro's side, shrouded in black cloaks, eyes glowing bright crimson. I shuddered at the thought.

"They would know we would never agree," Edward growled, the hand around my waist tightening.

"Still," Alice said, her voice a bit strained. She was staring into the empty fire pit. "They could have killed her right then and there, but they didn't. That means that, despite the reason, they need Bella alive for whatever they have in mind. Which means…" she paused for an immeasurable moment, "they are after _her_." Silence followed that.

"They will _not_ touch her." Edward's voice scared me. I was scared to look at his face—to see what I might find there, but my eyes drifted there of their own accord. His face was not that of the joking, loving Edward I had known only a few minutes ago…but one of hate and fury. It scared me. I did not want hate in Edward's eyes. I reached a hand up to stroke his cheek.

"Edward," I whispered. He turned to me, his face still twisted into a mask of anger and hatred. My eyes widened as his darkened ones locked on mine. Whatever he saw on my face must've made him realize what was on his. His features immediately jumped back to his normal self: eyebrows drawn up into a worried, anxious expression. I felt the muscles keeping my expression (I realized had been horrified) in place relax and smooth. Suddenly, I was in his arms, and he seemed to be unaware of the many pairs of eyes on us.

"Oh, Bella, Bella, I'm so sorry," he murmured into my hair. His hand ran anxiously along the length of my back. I was crushed to his granite form. "I'm so sorry," he repeated, drawing away. I looked into his eyes, but they were wary and apologetic.

"It's okay," I said, but flinched internally as I heard my voice shake. "Just," I paused, "I don't like seeing you like that. It's not _you_. It…" I was about to say "frightens me" but I decided not to use that word choice, "worries me. I don't want to see hate like that on your face." Those perfect, beautiful golden eyes weren't meant to hold such hideous things.

"Bella," was all it seemed he could say. He pulled me into another hug, and just barely loosened me so I could see the rest of his family, their eyes courteously looking elsewhere. "So they are meaning to use Bella to get to us?" Edward clarified, starting up the conversation again.

"There's no way to know exactly what they mean to do," Carlisle pointed out, "with this new guardsman in the ranks." Alice and Jasper's faces matched each other in an expression of frustration and irritation. "But remember what you saw in Aro's mind, Edward. The fear of our coven growing larger. Maybe he thought we were planning to try and dislodge them."  
"That's absurd," Edward muttered, but no one responded.

"Regardless, what are we going to do about it?" Rosalie snapped, speaking for the first time that night.

"Rose," Emmett cautioned under his breath. Carlisle spoke, ignoring Emmett's attempt to sweep Rosalie's question under the rug.

"We go home in a few days. They weren't able to find our scent thanks to Esme, so we're safe for the time being." he said, referring to Esme's trip out earlier to cover our scent. "Jane will have had no choice but to return to Italy and wait for more orders. We go home and live normally, although no one is to leave for long. We want our scent in town to fade as much as possible." Everyone was watching Carlisle with startling intensity.

"And if they come back?" Rosalie questioned. I stopped breathing for one split second.

"We fight," Jasper said, his eyes fierce.

"Don't be stupid, Jasper," Edward growled, "We can't fight the Volturi and you know it. We barely escaped today by luck, even though we outnumbered them three to one. With the entire guard, not including Jane and Alec, and not to mention Aro, Caius, and Marcus, how do you think we will fare?" Jasper didn't speak. But Emmett did.

"Edward, what other choice do we have? We can't run from them forever. We could get help—"

"No," Edward cut him off, his voice steely. "There is not one of our kind who would be willing to face the Volturi in direct combat. Not for us. "

"What about the clan in Denali?" Emmett suggested. Jasper's eyes remained dark, darting between Edward and Emmett.

"They refused to help us fight last time."

"Because Irina was involved with Laurent and wanted permission to take down the pack in revenge in exchange for our help," Carlisle threw out.

"But Irina's left the clan," Jasper said smoothly. "They might be willing to help us now."

"Not against the Volturi," Edward repeated. "And we cannot fight them on our own." I grasped the situation at once.

There was no option of flight; there was no option of defense.

All we had left was borrowed time.

We had enough time to barricade the doors and sit and wait until they broke through our defenses. This was a time in which not even turning me would change the odds.

The Volturi would stop my heart if Edward didn't do it first. And if after all of that, Edward and Alice refused to join the very assembly that had threatened to kill me…they would meet the same fate. My heart hammered in my chest.

"I say we listen to Carlisle," Esme said. "We go back home and stay there. If _they_ come to _us_…well we'll figure that out when we get home. We stay out of town as much as possible and keep under the radar."

"And then what? We go home and just stay there until the Volturi sniff us out like sitting ducks?" Emmett questioned his adoptive mother fiercely.

"No," Esme's voice was low, her eyes calm, but fierce at the same time. It was a side of her I had never seen. "We go home and think of a plan."


	4. Chapter 3: Games

Shooting Star

**CHAPTER 3: **_**Games**_

I couldn't keep my eyes off him. Every movement he made…every little thing he did…

I shivered.

"Are you cold, Bella?" Alice asked. It was the next night (Carlisle said we should stay one more day just in case).

"Huh?" I said, snapping out of my daze, "Oh, no I'm fine. Thanks though." She gave me a funny look.

"Are you sure?"

"Yah, I'm sure."

"All right," she turned away reluctantly. After the discussion last night, I hadn't really fallen asleep—just drifted in and out of consciousness, only dreaming once. In my dream I was kissing Edward on a bed of golden flowers. He pulled away, and his mouth moved in different ways, forming different sentences, but I only heard one phrase escape from his lips over and over:

"What if I'm not the superhero? What if I'm the bad guy?" I'd told him he was my superman, and always would be, leaning in to kiss him—but as soon as I lowered my lips back to his, he shimmered out of existence. I had screamed and dug through the pile of flowers, only finding a black cloak: torn and blood soaked. I had felt something on my neck, and whirled around.

It had been Edward, his eyes closed, a slight smile playing across his lips. I'd reached out to touch his face, almost crying in relief.

He'd opened his eyes and…crimson lanterns had glowed back at me. But I didn't move. Despite his eyes and, I'd realized, the black cloak he wore, I didn't run.

If I was going to die, it would be by his hands.

He'd leaned towards me…and I'd woken up.

I'd found new clothes in the tent this morning. My dress and the rest of our formal wear had been discarded in favor of some clothes Rosalie gotten us in Port Angeles. It was actually warm I the tent (I had been sitting there for a while with Alice who was doing nothing to cool it down). I peeled off my green sweatshirt and sighed.

Edward and Emmett had gone off hunting earlier that day and were expected to be back this afternoon. Carlisle had ordered them not to go far—to keep the scent contained in one area, but it would still take a while.

I glanced at the watch Alice had strapped to my wrist. It was two o'clock. The morning had dragged by slowly. My mind slipped to the image of the movement his throat made when he talked. I shivered again, but not from the cold.

"Are you completely _sure_ you aren't cold, Bella?" Alice said with a smile. We were playing Go Fish with a pack of cards Rosalie had picked up. Go Fish was a good game— total guess work. It was slightly annoying, though, when I went to ask her if she had a three of hearts and she said "Go Fish" before I'd uttered the first word.

"Yes, Alice," I assured her, grinning back. "I'm _not_ cold. Your turn."

"Mmm," she murmured, thinking, "sevens…? Nope." She picked up a card from the pile and placed it in her hand, grinning widely. Speaking of grinning…Edward's smile popped into my head. I wonder what his smile would look like if he was…Oh, God that sent me into a whole new series of images in my head.

"_What would you do if you got me alone?_" he'd whispered to me last night, trying to distract me from the horrifying images he knew were filling my head. I imagined kissing his perfect lips, my hands tracing over his perfect face, and trailing down his prefect chest. I imagined my fingers slipping under the hem of his shirt and crawling slowly up his chest, feeling the cool smooth touch of marble and inhaling the wonderful scent he always smelled like. I imagined slipping his shirt over his head and kissing slowly up his chest and finding his lips again. I imagined my hands teasing back down to his belt buckle…

"Bella!" I looked over.

"Huh?" I said intelligently. Alice shook her head in sarcastic disappointment. I pressed my hands to my cheeks and felt them. They were so warm.

"Disgraceful," she teased, and dropped four sevens in front of her. Ah, crap. She'd seen my little fantasies.

"Sorry, Alice." She shook her head, handing me a four of clubs before I could even think about forming a sentence relating to our juvenile card game.

"It's hard enough seeing Edward think about what he plans to do with you. Trust me, he's worse." I felt my blush come back. "It's just very weird to see things like that involving a brother."

"Sorry," I apologized again.

"S' okay," she said passively, "Day dream as much as you like. I'll just tune it out next time." The tent flap opened and… "Speak of the devil…" Alice giggled as Edward strode over to me, planting a soft kiss on my cheek. I turned my head so his lips caught mine, dropping the cards in my hand to the floor.

"Much better," I murmured into his lips.

"Mmm," he agreed and I laughed.

"Alice, I forfeit," I told her.

"Aww that's no fun," Alice pouted, drawing of all the cards and stacking them into a neat pile in a flash.

"So what did I miss during your little party?" Edward asked, his light golden eyes glowing in the dim light.

"Wouldn't you like to know?" I teased, and he smiled, kissing the hollow at the base of my throat. Alice smirked and I pulled my finger across my throat and glared at her. She giggled and turned to Edward.

"Bella's day dreams somewhat slipped into my head."

"Oh?" One perfect eyebrow raised the slightest bit.

"You wanna see?" She asked, her high voice quivering with excitement.

"Of course," Edward responded quickly. I glared.

"Alice, don't you dare," I growled.

"Too late," she said cheerfully. I looked at Edward. His eyes were closed, a slight smile playing across his face. He was too beautiful. But then he sighed and opened his eyes, looking incredulously at Alice.

"Is that all?"

"I cut her off," she explained.

"Too bad. The me in Bella's mind was beginning to enjoy it." He looked over at me, his eyes twinkling mischievously.

"I bet he was…" I muttered. I looked at him out of the corner of my eye, pretending to listen to what Alice was saying. Oh, God, what if would feel like to trail my mouth across that strong jaw…that chest hidden under that baggy shirt. I had a strong urge to lean over than rip it off him. I imagined my hands quickly tugging the shirt off him and flipping him over, kissing down his chest…hearing his silky voice murmuring and me giggling against the coolness of his perfect stomach, and then—

"Bella…" Alice warned.

"What? I though you said you could tune it out." I accused.

"Well such a strong plan of you leaning over, ripping Edward's shirt off, and straddling him was kind of hard to block out. Especially when you're so close," she explained.

"You want to rip my shirt off?" Edward asked, blinking at me. I just blushed and turned away, muttering:

"Stupid Alice…"

"If you do, it's okay," he murmured, his hand slinking around my neck from behind. He pulled the hair away from my neck, trailing his lips across the nape of it. "I assure you, the feeling is mutual…" there was a low roughness in his voice that made me shiver.

"Well my teeth are rotting from the ooey-gooey sweetness of just being in the same room as you two, so I'm leaving," Alice announced.

"Have fun, Alice," Edward teased. She stuck her tongue out at him.

"Would you like me to magically soundproof the tent while I'm out here?" She asked sarcastically.

"That would be wonderful," Edward purred. Alice huffed and then left the tent with a call:

"Esme? Have you seen Jasper?"

"So…" I asked, trying to keep my words straight while he ran his lips back and forth across the back of my shoulders.

"Yes?"

"How was hunting?"

"Excruciating. I could barely focus."

"That's too bad. Catch any tasty mountain lions?"

"A few," he murmured. His lips moved down a bit, and I felt his hands sliding down my sides. He never used to do anything like this. Just kisses and caresses.

But I guess it was different now we were…m…m…m—married.

Oh, God.

Edward lifted up the bottom of my white tank top, and kissed the small of my back. I nearly shot up onto my feet with the shock of icy cool lips on my back.

"Are you okay, Bella?" His silky voice asked behind me.

"What in the world are you doing?" I asked breathlessly.

"I thought you would enjoy it," Edward said, his lips tracing up my spine as his hand pulled up my tank top. "I've been doing some reading."

"Oh, well that certainly isn't disturbing," I joked. Then I gasped. _He was using his teeth!_ Small little nips between my shoulder blades.

"Doing all right?" He asked, a smile in his voice.

"I will endure the torture for your sake," I teased, but lost my sarcastic tone on the last word as I felt his hands slid around my waist to the front, coming to rest edgily on my ribcage.

"Do you know how good you smell?" He asked, resting his head on my left shoulder. I turned my head to look him in the eye. He smiled innocently. The cat-ate-the-canary smile. I stuck my tongue out at him and…oh, my God, _he bit it!_ He bit my tongue!

"Eeee!" I shrieked, and he let me go, smiling innocently again. He licked his lips.

"Delicious." I thought about sticking my tongue out at him again, but decided against it.

"Edward!" We heard Esme call from outside, probably sitting in one of the lounge chairs Rosalie had bought outside the tent. "Are you eating Bella in there?"

"No, Mother," he called back, grinning. Absolutely stunning.

"Good." Edward chuckled, turning back to me. His gaze was…amused, yet avid.

"You look hungry," I said.

"I don't eat," he pointed out.

"I didn't mean that kind of hungry," I sighed.

"Oh," Edward's eyes lit up, "Ooh. Are you hungry?" He asked, his eyes smoldering.

"Maybe," I replied sheepishly, blushing as always… and of course, he laughed hysterically.

Edward took in a deep breath, calming his mood, although his eyes still burned.

"Don't worry, it'll be soon," he assured, kissing my eyelids softly.

"I know," I sighed.

"What's wrong?" He asked, concern shining in his eyes.

"I just love you so much, and there's only one way I haven't shown you. I've told you, I've almost died for you, I've m—m…m…"

"Married me," Edward suggested.

"Thank you," I glared. He just smiled. "But the only way I haven't shown you is physically."  
"Oh, Bella," he whispered, twirling me around to face him, and hugging me tightly. "You don't have to show me. I already know. I would be perfectly happy with the way things are. You don't have to prove anything to me."

"I'm not trying to prove anything," I argued, "I _want_ to show you. Besides, I really want this too."

"Anything for you," he said.

"I love you, Edward Cullen."

"I love you too, Bella."  
"I know," I sighed, "that's the problem."

"Oh, and what's _that_ supposed to mean?" He asked smiling.

"Nothing…absolutely nothing." I smiled back.

"Regardless, I still love you," he whispered into my ear. "I love you, I love you, I love you."

"I know," I said, sighed happily and closing my eyes, focusing only on this moment, "I know."


	5. Chapter 4: Small Talk

Shooting Star

**CHAPTER 4: **_**Small Talk**_

It had been two weeks since we'd returned home after spending three days in the mountains. There had been no sign of the Volturi after we'd arrived home, although I'd walked in on Carlisle and Esme discussing plans a few times.

Two and a half weeks Edward and I had been married, but we could never seem to get a night alone! Alice or Esme, or sometimes even Emmett kept bursting in right before we could get our clothes off.

I sighed, looking out the window of Edward's—no it was _our_ room now. It was sooo frustrating.

"_Don't worry, it'll be soon,"_ Edward had assured me…but two weeks was not soon in my book. The fantasies had been popping into my mind more often…and Edward seemed to know, because right when I was thinking about things, he'd come up behind me and start kissing me…and then Alice would barge in asking me if I wanted Esme to order Chinese food.

_I don't want Chinese, I want __**Edward**__!_ I had thought.

"Bella? Are you all right? You look mad," Edward's silky voice greeted me as he stepped though the door, a tray of food in his hands, closing the door with his foot.

"I'm not mad," I told him, "just frustrated."

"I know how you feel," he purred, running his fingers though my hair…a very distracting motion. "I brought you some lunch." I looked down at the tray. Mushroom ravioli. I cracked up. "What's the matter?"

"Nothing," I said trying to control my breathing, "it's just the night you saved me from those creeps in Port Angeles and took me out to dinner…I ordered mushroom ravioli!" Edward smirked at me.

"You remember what you _ordered_?" He asked incredulously.

"I remember everything from when I'm with you," I said matter-of-factly.

"Oh?" He raised an eyebrow. "I'll bet I can beat you."

"No, duh!" I said, spearing a ravioli with my fork and popping into my mouth, "you have photographic memory. That's cheating."

"It's not cheating if it's not intentional."

"Whatever," I said, chewing on another ravioli.

"Can I quiz you?" Edward asked, an amused smile playing on his face.

"Why would you want to do that?" I asked.

"Just curious."

"Fine," I sighed, taking a drink from the can of Sprite on the tray. "Shoot."

"Hmm," Edward said, thinking, "What class did we first meet in?"  
"Biology," I answered immediately.

"Okay, that was an easy one. Umm…What was I wearing the day I first took you to the meadow?"

"Hmm," I had to think a minute on that one. "A light tan sweater, with a white collar poking up from under it, and jeans. We matched." I crunched on one of the crackers that were on a dish beside the ravioli.

"The time we played baseball in the clearing," he started, careful to avoid the incident that had occurred shortly after, "who batted first?"

"Uh…Emmet. And Alice was pitching. Emmett hit what looked like a home run, but you run the fastest, so you caught it."

"Amazing," Edward breathed, and I beamed. "You know, when you smile like that, it makes me want to kiss you."

"Does it?" I smiled again.

"You are a most dangerous creature, Bella Swan," he whispered, leaning in close to me, our foreheads touching.

"Thank you." I said simply as he leaned in to press his lips softly to mine. Oh, God, nothing in the world could top this. If you had come to me two years ago in Phoenix, pointed him out walking down the street and told me I would be marrying him in less than two years, I would have told you you were crazy. But now, as Edward moved his lips so gently; so lovingly against mine…those thoughts seemed miles away. The only thing that existed was his wonderful smell…his beautiful voice whispering: "I love you" in my ear…and his breathtaking lips.

"Hey, Emmett, come here," we heard Alice's hushed whisper.

"What?" we heard Emmett's voice walk up to the door. "Oh!" Edward and I broke apart. I glared at Emmett and Alice, who were gazing on adoringly.

"What do you think you're doing?" Edward's low growl wasn't really mad, but would still scare me if it was directed my way.

"Just passin' by," Emmett said, grinning like a banshee.

"It's your fault, Edward. You shouldn't have left the door open," Alice's high voice said with a smile in it.

"I didn't leave the door open," Edward said.

"Well, it's must've been a ghost or something," Alice said passively. I rolled my eyes.

"C'mon, Alice, I think Jasper's lookin' for you," Emmett told Alice and she skipped by him down the hall to the stairs. Emmett turned back and winked at me, "Bye, Sis," and shut the door behind him.

"Yay!" I exclaimed as soon as I was sure it was just me and Edward again.

"What?" He asked.

"He called me Sis!" I explained. Edward sighed, rolling his eyes. "What?" I asked.

"Nothing," he said, "all right, next question," Edward said.

"You sound like a game show host. Wait, you want to keep asking me questions? Oh, this brings back memories." Edward snickered.

"Of course. I'm a very curious man."

"Fine, go ahead Alex Trabec." Edward laughed and thought a minute.

"What exactly did I say when I proposed to you?"

"Like I'd forget that," I scoffed, and closed my eyes, remembering. "Isabella Swan," I quoted, "I promise to love you forever—every single day of forever. Will you marry me?"

"Word for word," he shook his head, "Once again, I am astounded by how obsessed you are with me."

"Yes, I'm a stalker, Edward," I said sarcastically, rolling my eyes, "that's how I got into your house and am sitting on your bed. I watch you twenty four seven."

"If you were a stalker, and I saw _you_ outside my window," Edward said, wrapping his arms around me. I could feel the chill through his shirt. "I would let you in my window."

"No doubt _you_ would be the one coming in through _my_ window," I muttered.

"Uh, Bella, love? That already happened." I rolled my eyes and he chuckled.

We talked the afternoon away, pausing only to go for a scenic run (Edward did the running) out to our meadow and back. About six o'clock Alice danced in and roped us into a family game of team Monopoly. It was pretty amusing. Who was on whose team was pretty obvious.

About half way through the game, Edward and I were second, being beat only by the Alice-Jasper team. Monopoly didn't allow Alice to use her talents very much since it was all luck—undetermined. The same aspect applied to Edward. Jasper only kept us from getting too mad at him when his and Alice's piece kept zooming around the board, buying property after property and picking up all the good cards.

Emmett got chewed out by Esme after he attempted to slip some money from the bank into his and Rosalie's funds in a blindingly fast motion. Carlisle seemed very laid back and happy; smiling through the whole game. Of course, Edward and I, being extremely competitive, got serious towards the end, and after a couple of hard deals that had Rosalie chewing her lip in indecision and a few lucky throws of the dice, we pulled ahead of Alice and Jasper.

It was midnight before we finally ended the game. In a conclusion not even Alice foresaw, Carlisle and Esme ended up bankrupting us all with their Boardwalk/Park Place empire they had built up with two hotels on each.

"And this is why Esme and I pay the bills," Carlisle said with a laugh. We packed up the game and retreated to our separate rooms. Edward and I always got tense at night, because, although I could not read Edward's mind, and he could not read mine, I could tell what we were both thinking…

_Tonight may be the night._


	6. Chapter 5: Almost

Shooting Star

**CHAPTER 5: **_**Almost**_

I flopped down on the bed, sighing.

"That was the most fun I've had playing Monopoly since I was a kid!" I felt the bed dip as Edward joined me.

"I'm glad." I peeked up at him. His eyes were liquid…light golden…warm.

"It looked like you were having fun too," I accused him lightly; "I haven't seen you laugh like that in a while. It feels good." Instead of answering, his kissed me, his lips fervent. The rest of the world melted away and there was nothing but him.

This was the way I always wanted to feel.

Forever.

He moved his lips to my throat, allowing me to taking in a mouthful of air, and I shivered at the slow movements his lips were making on my collar bone.

"Edward—" I had something to say, but I lost my train of thought as his fingertips slid down my arms, barely touching, raising goosebumps along the way. I threaded my fingers through his hair, wondering how I had been so lucky.

"Yes?" His velvet voice asked against the collar of my shirt.

"Huh?" I said, dazed.

"You were saying something?" His lips very slowly ran back and forth across my skin.

"Could you…" I blushed.

"Bella, you can ask me anything."

"Could you take off your shirt?" I asked, barely audible, glad his eyes were not looking at my face. I felt his cool breath against my skin as he laughed.

"Of course." He kissed my throat once more before leaning back and undoing the buttons on his shirt and shrugging out of it. I heard myself suck in a breath. My fingers traced the icy muscles lightly, and I saw him close his eyes. I pushed him back onto the bed, and he did fall back, smiling ever so slightly. I continued to run my fingertips across his chest and down his stomach. He was too beautiful—overwhelmingly beautiful. I felt him sigh.

"What are you thinking?" I asked quietly. He was silent for a moment before answering.

"You have no idea how good that feels…the warmth." I bent to press my lips to his collar bone, same as he had done for me, remembering the fantasy Alice had picked up on that day in the tent.

And I did exactly that.

I kissed slowly down his chest, listening to his breath come in and out evenly, and I might have imagined it speed up a bit as I reached the hard muscles of his stomach.

He was too perfect.

Even after two years or so, it was almost hard to believe he was real—hard to believe he was mine. I finally reached down to undo the button of his jeans, and he placed a hand over mine, stopping me.

"What's wrong?" I asked, afraid he was going to say not tonight again.

"I…" he hesitated. I could see him searching for the right words. "I just want to savor this," he told me quietly, his eyes staring up at me…so deep and fiery.

"I know," I said, "It's just I love you so much. Everything about you. And I want it all at once." I blushed at the way the words sounded coming out of my mouth. He grinned.

"I understand what you mean," he whispered, his voice low and velvety. "I completely understand." He rolled taking me with him. I could feel his body against every line of mine, but holding himself so that there was no pressure on me. "Remember the night when we talked about this?" He asked.

"Yah," I said, grimacing at the memory. He chuckled.

"Remember what I said? "Bella…would you _please_ stop trying to take your clothes off?""

"And I said, "Do you wanna do that part?""

"I do now." The low roughness in his voice sent a pleasant thrill shooting through me. His icy fingers undid the buttons of my blouse slowly, taking his time. He finally undid the last one, tossing the shirt to the ground beside the bed. His eyes lit with the most beautiful golden fire I had ever seen. I blushed at the realization that I was lying under him in my bra and jeans. He took in a deep breath.

"I know I'm not that…attractive," I murmured quietly, averting my eyes. I looked up, and Edward's eyes were somewhat cold.

"Bella… how can you think that?" His voice was taking on an edge of fierceness I had only heard a couple of times. "Have you ever looked in the mirror?"

"But—" Edward cut me off with a scorching kiss.

"You are the most beautiful woman I have ever seen."

"Okay, that's a lie," I muttered.

"Of course it's not!" Edward's eyes closed for a minute, lowering his lips to my throat again and trailing lazily down my chest a bit and my breath caught in my throat. His fingers traced the inward curve of my stomach. "How can you be so beautiful?" He asked.

"That's my line." I told him breathlessly. Edward smiled sadly, his eyes dragging back up to mine, locking my gaze.

"Bella, you know that some girls are…pretty, or some are…cute," his mouth formed awkwardly around the words. I nodded slowly. "Well the pretty girls and the cute girls may be attractive…" A wave of horror shot through me, "to other boys. But they hold absolutely no interest to me. But, _you_, Bella…" his hand cupped my cheek, "my Bella…you are in a category of your own. Those girls don't even _begin_ to compare to your beauty." I blushed.

"I guess," I muttered hesitantly. He resumed what he was doing, his fingers tracing.

"You are the most beautiful thing in my world," he reassured against my ribcage.

"Your world is the only one I care about." I felt his cold lips smile against my overly heated skin. He finally reached my jeans.

"Fine. Now we can get the pants off."

"Yes," I whispered, "I never liked pants. You should take yours off too."

"Pants are terrible," Edward agreed. "You should never wear them when you're around me." I giggled. He undid the button and zipper and yanked my pants down my hips and legs, finally tugging them off my feet, and tossing them beside my shirt. So there I lay, in my underwear. "Much better…" he mused, his finger tracing the circle of my knee cap.

"What about yours?" I asked, eyeing his jeans. A quick flash and he was standing beside the bed in only his boxers, his jeans crumpled into a heap on the floor. "Much better," I mused as he lay next to me again before I could blink, "pants are defiantly bad."

"Defiantly," Edward agreed. His lips found mine, and his fingers found the outside of my thigh, trailing lightly up it to my hip. Somewhere in the back of my mind I was glad I had remembered to shave today. "You have gorgeous legs," he murmured.

"Thank you."

"Bella?" something in his voice made me look up. "Are you _sure_ you want to try this?" There was conflict in his eyes. His eyebrows knitted together.

"Yes," I whispered. "If there's any real danger, you can stop, and I won't complain."

"I could _kill_ you, Bella," he hissed through gritted teeth.

"I know," I reached a hand up to cup his cheek. "But if you start going crazy, I'll stop you."

"Do you promise?" His voice was hard; strained.

"Scout's honor," I said with a little military salute. The crooked smile I loved so much twitched up the corner of his mouth. His mouth lowered to my throat. I felt his fingers tease down my stomach to the waistband of my underwear, and start to pull it down. I sucked in a breath, and leaned my head to the side, looking out his window…

And there, perched on a branch on a tree outside his window…was Alice.

I screamed, and Edward almost flew off the bed in surprise.

"What?!" He asked, startled. I pointed, unable to speak, my body still recovering from the shock. He turned his head to look out the window, and Alice was still there. She just grinned, waving to us as if there was nothing odd about the situation. I jumped behind Edward, hiding there, my fingers gripping his shoulders tightly.

"Alice…" Edward growled. Even though it was soft, no doubt Alice could hear it.

"Bella! Edward! Is everything okay?" Esme's frantic voice exclaimed as she ran through the door, Carlisle following right behind her. Carlisle turned away a bit as he saw I was in my underwear, Edward in the same state. Edward jerked his head in the direction of the branch outside the window, which was now empty.

"Alice decided to be a peeping Tom," Edward growled.

"What did I do wrong?" Alice's high voice was dripping with innocent sweetness. She stood in the doorway, her eyes wide and shining.

"You had better start running, Alice," Edward growled. Alice looked hurt. She turned to Carlisle and Esme.

"I was only concerned. I foresaw them doing some things, and decided to come see if they were doing all right…if Edward was hurting her. I was only there for a second. Oh, by the way, Bella, I like your underwear." I blushed deeper.

"I agree with Edward, Alice," my voice was dark, "Run as fast as you can." Esme sighed, turning to put a hand on Alice's shoulder.

"Alice, you really should give them their privacy. This is important to them, so please stay out of it." Her voice was soft.

"I'm sorry," Alice's face held a heartbreaking expression. "I'm sorry, Bella. I'm sorry, Edward. Really I am. I was just concerned. That was all. I'll try to not spy on you anymore."

"Pervert," I muttered.

"All right," Esme said. "We'll leave you two alone." Carlisle lingered a minute after Esme and Alice had left.

"Come see me in the morning, Edward," he said, "I have some things I could help you with."

"Thank you, Carlisle," Edward said, and Carlisle drifted out too, closing to door behind him. I collapsed backwards onto the bed. "Damn her," Edward cursed, "Damn Alice to the pits of hell."

"You know you don't mean that," I said, the anger towards Alice having run its course.

"No," he allowed, "but she still ruined our night." He pulled me into a hug, my skin burning against his. "I'm sorry, Bella."

"It's okay. Carlisle said to talk to him. He will probably be able to help make it safer, and guarantee no interruptions." Edward closed his eyes, sighed, and then opened them again.

"Do you want to sleep now?" He asked.

"No," I said, "I just want to lay here with you for a while." I sighed happily as he pulled the golden covers of the bed around me and then climbed under them himself, fitting his arm around me as I lay my head on his bare chest. "I wish we could stay like this forever," I whispered.

"We can," he whispered back, his lips against my hair.

I took comfort in that thought as I drifted off to sleep in Edward's arms.


	7. Chapter 6: Gossip

Shooting Star

**CHAPTER 6: **_**Gossip**_

Edward and I sat in Carlisle's office the next morning.

I stared around at the only room in the Cullen house I was not quite comfortable in, although I didn't know why. Edward's arm was place securely around my shoulders. Carlisle finished stowing a folder away in one of his many drawers and turned to face us.

"So, you had some theories?" Edward asked. I looked over at him, but was unable to read his face.

No doubt I was blushing.

Carlisle had turned into something of a father to me, but it was always awkward to discuss these things with a father. Edward seemed perfectly at ease. I remember, though, that he had discussed this with Carlisle once before.

_"I spoke to Carlisle about it. He thought maybe if we gave you enough morphine, it wouldn't be so bad."_

Morphine.

That made me laugh, remembering what Jake had said after his "motorcycle" accident, when he had saved Leah Clearwater from a surviving newborn.

_"Dr. Fang isn't sure how much pain medication I need so he's going with trial and error."_ A pang of pain shot through me at the thought of Jacob as I realized I would probably never see him again. He had disappeared without a trace. Not even Billy knew where he'd gone.

"Bella?" Edward's soft voice spoke in my ear making me jump.

"Sorry, I was zoning out." Edward smiled impishly at me. I smacked him on the shoulder, though I knew he barely felt it.

"Not like that, you pervert."

"Anyways," Carlisle's voice was smooth as always, "I still think what I told you last time. It would be a good idea to give her some morphine so you won't hurt her." Edward nodded in agreement.

"She promised to stop me if I "start going crazy"" his fingers made little quotation marks in the air. Carlisle chucked.

"That's good."

"No offence," I said, annoyed, "but I really don't like it when people talk about me as if I'm not sitting right here."

"Oh, I'm sorry, Bella," Carlisle apologized.

"It's okay," I waved it off, "Just thought I'd let you know."

"Anyhow," Carlisle continued, "Bella, the promise that you'll stop Edward if _anything_ goes wrong is crucial. Not in documented history has this ever been attempted, so we won't know exactly what effects it will have on both of you, although I doubt you'll get away without some bruises." Edward winced beside me, and Carlisle sent an apologetic look at him.

"Yes," Edward agreed, his hand making circles on my back, "you _have _to stop me if even the slightest thing goes wrong."

"I told you, Scout's honor." Edward grinned and turned to Carlisle.

"Any other theories." Carlisle hesitated a minute, before clearing his throat, replying in a business-like tone.

"Bella…you might want to be on top." I looked at Edward and I could see him holding back a smile. I felt my face heat up. "Other than that, I'd just like to re-iterate that you two should proceed with the maximum caution."

"Not hard to do with Mr. Overprotective, here," I said, jerking my thumb at Edward. Edward squeezed my hand tighter, not to the point where it hurt, but to be uncomfortable. I glared at him.

"Good," Carlisle smiled. "So you are going to try tonight then?"

"Yes," Edward replied quietly, his voice neutral.

"Good luck you two."

"Thank you Carlisle," Edward said, his eyes shining with a golden light, "for everything."

Edward ordered Italian food for me for lunch, and I wolfed it down, having no idea how I'd gotten so hungry. It was chicken alfredo…and it was good.

"A bit ravenous today, are we?" Edward asked, watching me eat with interest. I wiped some sauce off my lip.

"Don't know how I got so hungry," I told him, taking another forkful and shoving it in my mouth. Edward chuckled. I sighed, "You guys spoil me when it comes to food."

"Only the best for our favorite human," Edward said.

"I swear I'm going to get fat from all this restaurant food."

"Bella, you couldn't gain weight if you tried," Edward gave me a side long glance. "I've seen you eat before, and you burn it off the next second." I shrugged and ate more chicken alfredo. "So…" Edward started casually after a moment.

"Yah?"

"How long after…tomorrow do you want to wait, Bella?" I choked on a mouthful of noodles.

"What?"

"For me to change you. Surely you don't want to do it tomorrow morning or something ridiculous like that?" I shook my head and he breathed a sigh of relief.

"I wanna wait a day. I'm ready…and I want to join your world, but," I paused a moment, collecting my thoughts, "I want one more day as a human to spend with you." Edward smiled a dazzling smile of utter joy. He kissed me softly and then pulled away, pressing his lips to my throat. "I wonder what powers _I'll_ have…" I mused.

"Depends," Edward murmured against my collarbone.

"My big question," I continued, "is if…since vampires get a balance boost, and I am in the negative zone on balance right now, will I just be promoted to normal coordination, or will I get bonus." Edward laughed loudly.

"I could see _you_ tripping over something even as a vampire." I glared at him.

"Ha, ha. Very funny."

"You were the one that said it," he pointed out. I sighed, too drained to come up with a comeback. I finished my lunch and turned so I could lean my back against his chest. I sighed. "Do you want to go downstairs?" He asked.

"Why?"

"You seem somewhat bored in here right now." I nodded.

"Let's go downstairs." Edward lifted me of the bed, taking my hand and leading me downstairs. Alice and Jasper were cuddled on the sofa in front of the TV, and Rosalie was leaning on Emmett in the doorway of the kitchen, also watching the TV. Carlisle entered the room through the other door from the front room. Edward pulled me down beside him on the couch, the one beside the sofa Alice and Jasper occupied. "Better?" He asked me.

"Mhm," I said softly.

"Oh, Edward!" Emmett's loud voice startled me in the sudden quietness of the room.

"Yes?" Edward asked. Emmett came over beside him, plopping down on the couch, Rosalie trailing along behind him like a silent glorious ghost.

"Hey, good luck tonight, Bro!" He exclaimed, slapping Edward on the back. Edward shot glares at Carlisle who was crossing the room, flipping through what looked like the mail.

"You told Emmett?" Edward's voice was dangerously low. Carlisle stopped looking over at Edward.

"No, I didn't. I told Esme," his calm voice had an edge to it.

"Well I heard it from Rose," Emmett told Edward. "Rose, where'd you hear it?"

"Jasper," she replied matter-of-factly. Jasper looked up.

"I heard it from Alice," he said, gesturing to the pixy-like girl on his lap. Alice finally tore her eyes away from the TV to find everyone else's—including mine—on her.

"Esme told me. Oops," she looked at Jasper. "I thought you wouldn't say anything." Jasper shrugged, looking over at Rosalie.

"She asked. No one ever told me I couldn't tell anyone." I sighed. I could feel my face becoming a thousand degrees.

"I'm going to get a glass of water," I said haltingly, getting up on the couch. I marched into the kitchen, feeling six pairs of eyes on me. I pulled a glass out of the cupboard and turned the handle on the sink, watching the water fill the glass with a hissing sound. I gulped it down, feeling my embarrassment fade.

I put the glass in the sink, and decided to take the long way back to the living room, walking through the huge front room first. To my surprise, Alice was dancing towards me. She smiled innocently.

I stopped, folding my arms across my chest.

"What, Alice?" I asked solemnly.

"Aw, don't be mad," she pleaded, wrapping her arms around me, "I honestly didn't think Jasper would tell anyone." I sighed, wrapping my arms around her.

"I can't be mad at you, Alice." She leaned in to whisper in my ear.

"Good luck tonight, though. I promise I won't spy!" She grinning, making an X over her heart with her index finger. I groaned.

"Does _everyone_ in this town know my activities for tonight?"

"No," Alice replied sweetly, "Just the household."

"Oh, Bella!" Esme's musical voice called from the stairs as she made her way down them. "Good luck tonight, honey. I'm so glad Edward finally found you." I just groaned, and started walking towards the living room in search of Edward.

"Did I do something wrong?" I heard Esme's voice ask Alice as I walked back into the living room. Edward was sitting in the same spot I'd left him. I leaned over to whisper in his ear, although I knew everyone could probably hear.

"Why does everybody have to know?"

"Shh," he kissed the corner of my jaw. "It'll be all right. Unless you'd like to go rent a hotel room or something?" I laughed, seeing his sarcastic grin.

"No thank you," I said with a huff.


	8. Chapter 7: Return

Shooting Star

**CHAPTER 7: **_**Return**_

The rest of the afternoon dragged on, slowly but comfortably.

I was excruciatingly ready for tonight, but I felt nice…almost right to savor my last afternoon of innocence. I laughed as I realized that was what I was thinking of it as. It started raining around five. The rain sounded different on the Cullen's roof than on my old house. More distant. Edward and I decided to take it slow, watching some TV, lounging around with the rest of the vampires that occupied the Cullen estate until ten-ish.

I kept peeking at Edward out of the corner of my eyes, and I could see him doing the same.

After an episode of "American Idol" ended, he leaned over and whispered silkily in my ear:  
"Do you want to go now?"

Did I? Did I?!

**I had been waiting for this moment since June!**

_What do you think, Edward?_

But instead of voicing all of this out loud, I just nodded my head. Edward took my hand and pulled me up from the couch. He shot a glare around the room to the other six pairs of eyes watching us, daring them to make a comment.

No one did.

I sighed as we reached the other room and started up the stairs, Edward scooping me up the same as the night he'd tricked me into engagement and flying up the stairs in a blurred motion. Well at least I guessed it would have been blurred had I not been in the center of it. We reached the top of the stairs, and Edward stopped, placing me back on my feet.

"What was that for?" I asked.

"I couldn't risk having you fall down the stairs…again," he laughed, remembering the day before the wedding when I had almost killed myself hurrying down the same flight of stairs. I grimaced.

"Yah, yah. Laugh all you want." There was something in his eyes as he stared at me. I stared back, questioning the burning intensity I could see there.

"Bella?" He asked, his voice so silky sweet.

"Yah?" I said breathlessly.

"Would you do something for me?"

"Anything," I whispered fiercely. The crooked smile I loved so much touched his perfect face. He looked down to the wood paneled floor of the expansive room below, his eyes trailing across the stereo that Alice had placed in the corner earlier to dance around to.

He held out his hand to me, and I took it.

"May I have this dance?" His voice was so sweet, so silky, so incredibly brimming with emotion, I almost fainted. He didn't wait for me to respond, scooping me up once again and rocketing down the stairs, hurtling to a graceful stop in the middle of the floor, placing me on my feet.

"Edward," I hissed, my chin on his shoulder. "You know I can't dance."

"Silly Bella," he mused, pulling back so he could look into my eyes. "We already had this discussion, remember? Prom." I made a face and he chuckled. "This will be better…" he leaned in so his flawless features were only inches from my face. I could smell his scent, and inhaled deeply, "because it will just be you and me."

"That doesn't sound so bad," I allowed. In a blur he raced to the stereo, barely touching it, and then was in front of me again in a flash. Music filled the large room, prefect volume. It was an old number. I think I recognized the slow trumpet and the old voice that sounded somewhat like Frank Sinatra.

"May I have this dance?" Edward repeated, slipping his hand around my waist.

A perfect gentleman.

I had a sudden image—of Edward in a suit and top hat at a party in 1918 asking me to dance in a frilly white dress that brushed the floor, my hair twisted up and entwined with flowers.

"Of course," I told him, and with the one hand he had around my waist, he picked me up, placing my feet on his.

"There, now," he said, voice soothing, "nothing to worry about." I felt his other hand at my waist also, and I slid my hands under his arms and around his chest, placing my cheek against his shoulder. He swayed slowly to the music. I closed my eyes, concentrating on the cold touch of his neck against my other cheek, the scent coming off his skin, and his even breathing. I sighed.

"I love you, Edward," I whispered on a whim. I felt him smile.

"I love you too, Bella." I squeezed my arms around him. I heard him start to hum along with the melody, his voice perfectly on tune, the vibrations resonating through his throat and chest. Then he started singing the words. "Isn't it romantic?" He sang, his voice low and velvet. I don't know how long we stayed like that…gently swaying to the old melody that was Edward.

For one of the few times in my life, there was no where else I would rather be, and nothing else I would rather be doing. I was perfectly content. I found this strange. At that moment I had no desire to kiss him, or hurry upstairs to instigate our plans.

I felt entirely whole.

As if, if I stayed like this forever, I would never want anything else.

In the back of my mind, I found it strange that I felt completely content while dancing of all things, but I pushed that far from my mind as we drifted off to a place all our own.

Edward and Bella.

I was sure he felt it too.

The song slowly drifted to an end, and I pulled back reluctantly to look into his eyes. Melted butterscotch; warm and sweet.

"Thank you," he whispered, his hand drifting up to cup my cheek. His thumb slowly caressed across it. I closed my eyes, leaning into the touch.

"No, thank you. That was…" I struggled for the words to describe what had just happened between us.

"I know," he said, his eyes smoldering.

At that moment I heard a knock on the door. _Why would someone be knocking on the Cullen's door? _I wondered. _They live out in the middle of no where._ I looked over at Edward and found him frozen—every muscle in his body was locked into place. "What is it?" I whispered.

"You'd better answer it, Bella," Edward's voice was low and quiet. I looked at him with questioning eyes, but turned around. I took long strides, almost breaking into a jog as I crossed the large entry room to the Cullen's front door. I heard more knocking…a slow tired knock. I opened the door.

"Yes? Who is—?"

I couldn't finish my sentence.

Because as the door swung open into the driving rain, it revealed a haggard boy with soaking strands of black hair coming down to his shoulders. He wore no shirt, just a tattered pair of very old jeans. Across his bare chest, were deep gashes—claw marks. The rain dripping down him was crimson, stained with the blood that still oozed from the wounds across his entire torso. His black eyes flickered across my face, the expression on his not changing. His body was so tense, he was quivering.

I couldn't speak.

My voice was locked in my throat, and refused to form words.

"Hey, Bells," the boy said, his voice so deep and familiar, "Can I come in?" My voice whooshed out in an audible gust of air.

"Jacob?"


	9. Chapter 8: Wounds

Shooting Star

**CHAPTER 8: **_**Wounds**_

"Jacob?"

The word was barely a whisper.

I couldn't breathe.

For one second I stood in the doorway, unaware of Edward tensed behind me, staring. Staring at the deep, bloody gashes across his chest and stomach, at the odd way his arm stuck out, at the dark bruise around his left eye, at Jacob—all Jacob.

"Let him in, Bella," Edward's voice was cold and hard behind me. I snapped back, moving aside as Jacob brushed past me. Once he crossed the doorstep, Edward shut the door with a soft click and came back to stand beside me, twining my fingers through his. Jacob's eyes assessed me for a moment, scanning my face and down my body, but then flickered to the light wood floorboards.

"I had a hell of a time finding this place in the rain—let me tell you," Jacob said, his eyes darting around the room. I could guess all the differences he was noting, seeing the large white room minus the disco lights, food tables, and crowd of my "graduation party". I caught him wrinkling his nose as his eyes came back to rest on the floorboards. "Place still smells the same as always," he muttered under his breath.

Smell.

Was that why my head was spinning, and my balance was suddenly gone? I grasped Edward's arm for support. The blood dripping from Jacob not only trickled from the wounds from his chest, but now I could also see blood seeping through the fabric of his jeans, running all the way down to his feet , leaving a trail of crimson foot prints across the floor. I could smell the blood—rust and salt—and the walls started swirling.

So much blood…

"Jake—" one hand was outstretched towards him before I collapsed.

"Bella!" Two voices called. A pair of icy arms scooped me up. I forced one eye open, meeting a pair of golden, concerned ones. "Carlisle!" Edward said loudly. He was there in a flash, standing beside Edward. His wide, golden eyes were taking in Jacob's sudden appearance with surprise. "Take care of Jacob while I get Bella upstairs," he said. The room was shimmering too wildly for me to see Carlisle's response.

"But, Jake…" I barely got you.

"He'll be fine, Bella," Edward's cool voice was in my ear. "Carlisle is going to look after him." I realized that neither Edward's father figure nor my werewolf friend were in the room anymore. "Now let's get you upstairs," Edward continued, "before you pass out."

"I might before you get there," I groaned. And before I knew it, Edward was striding towards the stairs, probably taking human velocity as to not upset my already knotted stomach. I kept my eyes closed as he ascended.

"Bella," Edward's velvet voice echoed slightly, "Bella, stay with me." I didn't want to open my eyes. My ears were ringing now. I could barely tell we were moving. This was one advantage to having a superhuman boyfrie—husband, I guess it was now.

I cringed, and I felt his arms tighten around me. He probably thought it was because I was in some kind of pain. Suddenly, I felt a mattress beneath me, and I assumed we had reached Edward's bedroom. He'd probably laid me down on the giant golden bed. I concentrated in keeping me breathing even.

It took forever for the spinning sensation to fade, but it did. After a long while, the stars glittering behind my eyelids stared to fade. I slowly opened my eyes, sighing in relief when the walls stayed where they were, only to be stunned by the dazzling golden eyes in front of me.

"I'm fine now," I assured Edward, and he sat back. Apparently he had been kneeling forward on the bed in front of me now.

"How is—?"

"He's doing okay," Edward answered softly; distantly. His eyes were dark. "Carlisle is almost finished dressing his wounds." I flinched thinking of all that blood. Wait…almost finished?  
"How long was I trying not to pass out?"

"Half an hour," Edward replied in the same vague tone.

"Half an hour?!" I exclaimed. Wow. There had been so much blood—it must've taken a toll on me. I remembered another time Jacob's blood had almost made me sick—when he'd sliced his hand open in my kitchen. I recalled the jagged, bleeding wound reduced to a puckered, pink scar in a matter of minutes.

"But Jake heals so fast. Why was he still bleeding?" I asked. Edward stopped, hi eyes focused on something far away. Then he shook his head infinitesimally.

"I think…" Edward paused, staring at our intertwined fingers, "I think we should go talk to Jacob.

Jacob's eyes were guarded as we walked into Carlisle's office. My best friend was lying on a couch across the room from Carlisle's desk, a thick quilt covering the half of him closest to the wall. Carlisle was bent over him, working on part of his right arm as we walked him. As we approached, he straightened up, turning to us.

"Are you feeling better, Bella?" Carlisle asked.

"As long as Jake's not bleeding anymore," I turned to Jacob, wanting to run to him and see if he was okay, but I forced myself to walk slowly.

I'd promised I would not hurt Edward again.

I knelt down in front of the couch, my hand hovering in the air between us. "How are you feeling," I murmured, blushing as I dropped my hand.

"Fine," Jacob said shortly, "Dr. Fang finally figured out how much morphine I need." His lips twisted up into what I guessed was supposed to be a smile, but it didn't touch his chocolate eyes.

"His arm is broken," Carlisle said from behind us, "along with a few of his ribs."

"Not to be rude," Jacob spat from the couch, "but I wish you wouldn't talk about me like I'm not here."

"Jake," I said, wondering why his tone was so hostile.

"I'm sorry, Jacob," Carlisle apologized. I could tell from his voice that he meant it. I heard Jacob sigh.

"Jake," I said, my voice soft, "Why are you being so mean to everyone. Carlisle helped you. Stop it, okay?"

"Thanks for the lecture on behavior, _Mom_," Jacob said sarcastically. I could feel the hurt on my face; could see it reflected in Jacob's dark, almost black eyes. But his expression didn't waiver. I turned to Edward, barely able to compose my features before he got a look at my face.

"Could I talk to Jacob alone for a minute?" I asked Edward. The hand he had on my shoulder tightened, but he let me go. "Thank you," I managed in a whisper.

He had thought we were past the whole Jacob mess…no, I wouldn't think of it like that. He had thought we were past me having to make up my mind about my future. He had thought that night that I cried myself to sleep in his arms had been the last of it. He had thought he was done having to deal with Jacob. But here we was, lying on Carlisle's couch, bandaged and hostile.

He reminded me of a raccoon I'd once found at Charlie's house during one summer in my childhood. The raccoon's paw had been broken, and was snarling at everything that came close to it, for fear of being hurt again, I'd guessed. Charlie had ended up having to shoot it so it wouldn't give anyone a disease or something.

Lying there on that couch, I think Jacob was just scared.

"Jake, what's wrong with you?" I asked, trying to keep my voice from shaking. It was finally sinking in. He was finally back. He was bruised, and bloody, but still alive.

"Besides the broken bones and sliced up middle, nothin' much, you?" The sarcasm didn't touch his eyes. I stared him down.

"Jacob Black, I'm serious. What the hell is wrong with you? This is not the Jacob I remember."

"Maybe you're not remembering right. I haven't changed." His tone held an edge that scared me.

"Dammit, Jake, you tell me why you're acting this way, or I swear—" he cut me off.

"What? You'll go get a baseball bat?" The hurt was starting to turn into anger inside me.

"That's starting to sound like a good idea," I muttered. "But that's not the point. Tell me what's going on. You can trust me, Jake." My words seemed to have broken through whatever barrier he had placed around himself. "Please," I said, reaching out a hand to stroke his cheek. He lashed out his other arm and batted my hand away with more force than necessary, the barrier flaring back up, stronger than before.

"Don't touch me, Bella," he snarled. "You went and decided to go marry him without telling me. You chose him over me. You broke my heart. You shattered my life, Bella, don't you dare ask anything of me."

I couldn't speak. My words were locked in my throat with shock for two reasons.

The first: Jacob… _my_ Jacob would have never said anything like that to me. Not like that. He wouldn't have stared at me with such hate in his eyes.

The second: He was right. I had no right to ask him for anything anymore. I'd done so much damage. I'd chosen Edward, and by doing so, crushed his world. I'd told him I'd loved him, but even so, it made no difference…I'd only given him a glimpse of a life he would never have. I had no right to ask anything of him.

"I'm…sorry, Jake," I whispered. Jacob didn't respond. His dark eyes flashed in the soft light filling the room.

"Whatever," he retorted, turning his head away from me.

"Jake?" My voice was barely a whisper. There was a long silence that stretched for several minutes. I was ready to assume he wasn't going to respond before he suddenly said:

"Yah?" His voice was quiet, all the anger gone.

"I need to know what happened."

"Why should I tell you?" He spat, the anger returning. "It's not like you care."

"_You should have told me to go die,"_ I remembered him saying _"that's what you want_."

"Jacob, please stop this. I _need_ to know what happened to you." Another long pause stretched.

"I was in Canada," Jacob finally said, his eyes staring straight up at the ceiling. I was relieved he was at last giving me his story. "Since a few days after you came to see me, I've been in my wolf form. I couldn't take being human anymore. I didn't want to _feel_ all the human feelings I was having. All the pain." He stopped, not wanting to go there.

I cringed, thinking of the pain I'd endured when Edward had left. If Jacob's pain had been even close to that, I deserved whatever treatment he gave me. For me to inflict that kind of pain on another person…on a person I loved?

"So I was somewhere in Canada," he went on, eyes still scanning the ceiling. "When I came across one of _them_." My breath caught in my chest. "They weren't like your bloodsuckers or any of the others I've ever seen. They were different. There was only one when I first came found his scent. I followed it, and he was alone. He was big with black hair. His eyes were red, so I knew he wasn't one of your bloodsuckers. I took him down easy, even though he was big as…the big one." Jacob searched for a name.

"Emmett?" I suggested, my tone expressionless.

"Yah," Jacob said, never tearing his eyes away from the ceiling. "But that's when the rest of them came. They all looked like him. Red eyes, black cloaks—"

"Black cloaks?" I repeated, my voice so low and horrified it scared even me.

"Mm," Jacob muttered non-commitally, obviously oblivious to my revelation. Red eyes, black cloaks…a large vampire almost as big as Emmett— "Then the rest of them came. They didn't know what to make of me. There was a little girl, and a little boy who seemed to be leading." My eyes widened with horror, my voice lost.

No…no.

Not them, not now…

Not Jacob.

"I figured if I could take out the little girl, the rest of them would back off. So I attacked.

"Then the girl…" his voice faltered. "The girl did something. One minute I was jumping at her, and then if felt like something was exploding inside my head. Finally, it stopped, and then they attacked. I barely got away after taking another one down."

"No…" My horrified whisper drew his attention.

"What?" Jacob's voice returned to the hard, scornful tone he had been using.

"It was them." My mind was racing a million miles a minute. They were here still. They had seen Jacob, attacked him. Then that must mean they knew about the existence of the werewolves now. They were close. And now that Jacob had come to the Cullens, he'd led a trail right back to—

"Them who?" Jacob asked, tone hard.

"The vampire government from Italy," I told him. "The Volturi." I looked over at him, and for the first time, he was looking directly at me. Understanding flickered in his eyes. I had told him about the Volturi when I'd explained my trip to Italy to rescue Edward this past spring. He knew about them…but not the full story. He didn't know exactly what he was up against.

"Volturi?" Something flickered deep in his black eyes. Fear? "Bella, what's going on?" For a moment, his face was that of _my_ Jacob. The one who was worried about me, and cared about me. The sweet little boy I'd grown to love. But at the moment, my world was no place for sweet things. The danger was very, very real.

"They're after me, Jacob."


	10. Chapter 9: Fight or Flight

Shooting Star

**CHAPTER 9: **_**Fight or Flight **_

__"I'll take it from here, Bella," Edward's voice saved me from the downward spiral my mind had flung itself into.

I resurfaced into Carlisle's office.

Edward crossed to room from the doorway and caught my hand, pulling me up. Had the two chairs now beside the sofa materialized, or had he drawn them up? I hadn't seen.

"What's going on here, leech?" Jacob demanded. Edward glanced at me, ignoring Jacob's rude name.

"Does he know about them?" He asked me.

"Yes," I answered, trying to focus, "but I didn't tell him much. He doesn't know about Jane, or Alec, or any of the others." Edward nodded, directing his attention back to Jacob. He narrowed his eyes for a moment, concentrating hard, and then snapped back.

"The one you took out was called Felix," Edward explained. His thumb was making soothing circles on the back of my hand. "And the one who attacked you with her mind was named Jane. The other little boy was Alec."

"Who were the others?" I asked, "Who else came?"

"Demitri," Edward said, his voice low. "That was the other you destroyed," he said to Jacob.

"Jane, Alec, Felix, Demitri…"

"There were five," Jacob corrected, his voice lashing out, still aggressive.

"The new one," Edward growled. I could see the muscles in his jaw tense.

"In case you hadn't noticed, you're the only one who can read minds around here," Jacob retorted, "so if you want me to know something, you need to tell me out loud. Got that, bloodsucker?" Edward sighed, as if dealing with a young child with an attitude.

"He's the new addition to the Volturi's guard," Edward explained.

"And this is important because…?"

"You already know some of us have powers…I can read minds, and Alice sees things. Well this new guard seems to have an ability to cancel out all vampire powers directed at him." Jacob was silent for a moment, I assumed, mulling this over in his head. "Jane called him Anthony?" Edward questioned. Jacob nodded, his expression vacant.

"He bit me," Jacob said, gesturing to his chest. "It stung really bad 'til the vampire surgeon extraordinaire put me under some pain killers."

"That explains it," Edward whispered to himself.

"What?" I asked him. He turned, directing his answer only at me.

"You asked earlier why Jacob wasn't healing at his normal rate. Well that was because he had vampire venom in the wounds." Jacob's expression became horrified.

"I'm not going to turn into a bloodsucker, am I?" As I stared at him, I could see there was true terror in his eyes.

"Judging by the fact that you are not screaming in agony right now, I would say no." I thought I saw the corner of Edward's mouth twitch as if he was fighting a smile. Whether it was at the thought of Jacob's reaction or him in pain, I couldn't tell. "I guess you're immune to it, since you're not human." Edward shrugged. "I really couldn't say."  
"Half human," Jacob corrected. "Only half of me isn't human. That's more than I can say for you." Edward's eyes were tight.

"So you completely destroyed Felix and Demitri?" He questioned.

"Yah. I burned it and everything. Seth was thinking about that day one time while I was running, so I knew I had to burn the pieces. So I started a fire. It smelled almost as bad as you guys." Edward didn't respond.

"Jake…did you head straight here?" I asked, my voice hoarse.

"I couldn't really tell where I was going. It hurt real bad. But then I hit your scent in the woods, and I followed it back here. When I realized where I was, I decided to come here. Lucky I did 'cause the doctor lived here and all."

"They have a trail to follow now," Edward muttered, almost to himself.

"So the Volturi are close," I said. It was not a question.

"Yes," Edward's low voice escaped in a hiss from between his teeth.

"How close?"

"I can't tell." Frustration flooded his voice. "Anthony, remember?" I nodded and looked back at Jacob. The muscles in his shoulders that were visible above the hem of the blanket were relaxing. A drained expression crossed his face.

"Well, if we're done yapping, I'd like to get some sleep. I've had what some call a hard day."

"We'll leave you Jacob," I told him, rising to my feet, Edward following in suit. The chairs were back by Carlisle's desk. I motioned for Edward to leave. "I'll only be a second." Edward's eyes were wary, but I felt his hand slip away from mine as he departed. I strode over to kneel beside Jacob again.

"What do you want, Bella?" Jacob's voice was exhausted, but I caught an edge of pain in it.

"I just wanted to say good night." I kissed my fingertips, and brushed them across his cheek before straightening up and leaving without turning back to see his face.

The next morning I woke to unexpected sun streaming through the large window that occupied the entire southern wall of Edward's bedroom.

I groaned when last night came flooding back to me.

Jacob—Jacob wounded. By the Volturi, no less. And they were close. Obviously with all that had happened, Edward had not fulfilled his half of the bargain last night.

"Are you all right, Bella?" He whispered from beside me in the bed. I looked at him, trying to get my eyes to focus, and the morning confusion to fade from my head.

"Yah, I'm fine," I said groggily and then cleared my throat. I made my way down to the Cullen's kitchen and located one of the several boxes of cereal Edward had bought for me. After that, I returned back upstairs to fix myself up. As Edward watched, I determined that my hair was being completely uncooperative, so I finally gave up and, after much amusement on Edward's part, threw it up in a loose bun. I dressed in a casual jeans and black turtle neck before heading downstairs. To my surprise they were all around the large table in the dining room. I was even more surprised to see Jacob seated at one of the chairs. He sat to one side of the two remaining empty chairs.

Edward and I crossed the room and slid into the chairs.

"So what's the meeting about?" Emmett asked, no trace of humor in his voice today. He was all business.

"We are discussing," Carlisle started, "our options. You all know how close the Volturi are, as Edward explained last night." Last night? Edward leaned to whisper in my ear.

"I explained to all of them while you were very deeply asleep." I just nodded, keeping my face blank. These were desperate times…no time to be selfish and cowardly.

"Remind me again why _I'm_ here?" Jacob asked, only a hint of hostility in his voice. I guess he knew better than to get on the Cullen's bad side since they outnumbered him seven to one. I wasn't going to put myself in that ratio.

"You're involved," Edward told him. Jacob glared.

"And when did I get involved?" Jacob asked, his chin jutting upwards.

"The day you were born." Silence followed before Jasper broke it, a strange calm easing the tension in the room.

"So what _are_ our options?" He asked smoothly.

"We fight," Emmett suggested again. Edward stiffened at my side.

"Or we run," Alice said smoothly, her tone indifferent.

"So that's it?" Edward asked, dubious. "Fight or flight?"

"Yes," Carlisle said softly. "What other options are there? Either way were could possibly be killed." The bright light streaming in through the windows lit the room and sent rainbows skittering off my new family's skin. The brightness seemed out of place while having a discussion about such a morbid topic.

I had a sudden epiphany.

I realized that if I had never moved to Forks…never met Edward, never fallen in love with him, never found out about the secret world of mythical creatures that existed within the human one…if I had never become involved, I wouldn't; Edward wouldn't; none of them would be facing immanent doom as they now did.

Everything was my fault.

Everything I touched got broken. Edward, Jacob, the Cullens, my parents, my friends. Was it my fate? To bring down everyone around me? Was I just destined to be a black hole that sucked everything around it into darkness? And yet, despite all of that, I still had a husband, a best friend, and a family that cared about me; that were all willing to risk their lives for me. Guilt swirled uneasily in my stomach.

Why would someone love a black hole?

They would only get hurt.

"Let's discuss the pros and cons of fighting," Carlisle suggested in a business like manner.

"If we fight," Edward said, "not all of us would survive." There was no uncertainty in his voice. He knew someone would not come back from that battle. They could not do that for me. None of them should die to protect me.

"No—" I choked in a strangled voice.

"Bella," Edward's voice was in my ear. "We're only talking right now. Don't get upset." His words did little to ease the tension in my body.

"But, if we fight, we might have some chance at ending it," Jasper spoke again, "as opposed to if we run, it might never end." Esme's tone was quiet, business-like as Carlisle's.

"But if we run, there is a chance all of us will live." I could tell Esme had no more intention of losing any of them than I did.

"Remind me again why I'm still here? Why can't I just go back to La Push?" Jacob's tone was still annoyed. Carlisle explained calmly.

"If you go back to La Push, you will endanger the entire tribe, not to mention you pack. The Volturi know of the existence of werewolves now, Jacob, and are aware you can destroy vampires. When your scent directs them back to Forks, and mingles with ours, they will go looking for you because you are connected to us. And where to you think your scent will lead them?"

"I see." Jacob's eyes were fixed on the table. "So this means I can't go back to La Push? Ever?"

"Not until this is all settled." I watched Jacob, but he didn't move; his expression didn't change.

"Can I phase yet? To tell the others?"

"You might want to stay in your human form for a few more days," Carlisle advised. "You're not completely healed. The vampire venom took a toll on your body."

"Do we have a few days?" Emmett inquired. "They were so close." Carlisle looked at Alice.

"Anything?"

"No." Alice's voice was frustrated. "This Anthony is making things dangerous. I'm virtually blind right now, because of that, and considering Jacob is coming with us, regardless of what we do." Edward jumped into the conversation.

"So which is it, Carlisle? Fight or flight?" Carlisle looked around the table, looked at the faces of his family—very similar to what I was doing. Either way, there was a very good chance not all of them would make it out alive.

"We'll take a vote." Was his calm response. He started with Esme, who was sitting next to him. "Esme?"

"I say we run. We can always fight later."

"Rosalie?"

"Run," was her short reply.

"Emmett?"

"I say we fight." His eyes were fierce. "We can't run forever."

"Jasper?"

"I agree with Emmett," he said.

"Alice?"

"Esme's right. We can fight later. If we run now, we might have time to think of a plan."

"Edward?"

"We run." His face was hard. He didn't look away from my eyes as he answered Carlisle.

"Bella?" I was taken by surprise. I didn't think he would ask my opinion. I hesitated only for a split second.

Wherever Edward was, I would follow.

"I'm with Edward." Was all I said. I looked around the room. Carlisle and Esme, and Edward and I were the only undivided couples.

"Jacob?" The surprise in his eyes told me he was just as taken aback that Carlisle had asked him as I had been.

Jacob took a minute, silence descending on the brightly lit room before he answered.

"I say we run."

"It's settled then," Carlisle said, his voice serious. "We leave tonight. Don't take anything that isn't necessary. I don't know when we'll be back, or if we will."

"But, Carlisle," Esme's voice spoke up, "where will we go?" Carlisle considered for a moment before he spoke.

"Denali."


	11. Chapter 10: Escape

Shooting Star

**CHAPTER 10: **_**Escape**_

"Bella, calm down," Edward soothed me.

I shoved another pair of pants into a suit case Edward had suddenly conjured for me.

The red and orange gold of the setting sun filtered through the huge window dominating the entirety of one of Edward's walls, setting his skin glittering ruby sparkles.

"I am calm," I assured him, but cringed inwardly when my voice came out tense. Everyone else was already finished packing.

Of course, I had to pack at human speed.

I was surprised none of them had caught clothing on fire while flinging it across the room at the speed of light. Or maybe they had, but I just hadn't heard yet.

"You can't lie to me, Bella." His voice would have been teasing if it weren't laced with the anxiety that saturated the air around us. I sighed. Of course. Being the only one whose mind Edward couldn't read had made him extremely sensitive to my expressions.

"I'm just scared," I whispered lamely. Of what, though, I didn't know. I suddenly felt his cool arms around my waist from behind, his lips at my ear.

"I'm here. Don't worry." His words did little to ease the knot of worry in my stomach, but suddenly my hands didn't shake as they zipped the suitcase shut. "If I told you that I would never let anything happen to you, would you believe me?" I turned to face him, his arms still locked around me.

"Yes," I told him. "I trust you with everything."

"You'd trust me with you safety?" He asked, his eyebrows shooting up.

"Yes."

"Trust me with your family?"

"Yes."

"With your life?"

"Yes." He hesitated for a moment, some dark concern lurking behind the melted topaz in his eyes.

"You'd trust me with your soul?"

"That most of all," I answered quietly. He didn't speak for a long while, his eyes just staring into mine with an unfathomable expression until he said:

"I think we should head downstairs if you're done packing." I just nodded, unable to speak. We walked slowly down both flights of stairs in silence, his hand cold and smooth around mine. As we entered the kitchen, Alice and Jasper—talking quietly at the far end of the table—went silent. I observed Carlisle's fingers blurring over the key pad of silver cell phone and then pressing it to his ear.

Edward quickly sat down in the nearest chair and pulled me down onto his lap.

"Hello, Tanya, this is Carlisle." There was a very short pause. "We need a favor." Edward's father glanced in my direction. "We need a place to stay while some things blow over here." I barely heard the high buzzing of a female voice from the phone. "No, I understand. We wouldn't stay there for long and we're bringing two humans. But one is from the Quilaute tribe—" I heard more buzzing, slightly more urgent, but ceased after a minute. "Yes he is, but he's bound by a treaty. Besides that he's in alliance with us at the moment. He will not harm anyone."

Edward absent-mindedly picked up a strand of my hair and began to play with it. "That's fine…yes we're aware that Irina left, but I don't see—oh. No, that's no problem. We just need to stay under the radar for a while." I wondered if Carlisle was going to tell them that it was the Volturi's radar we were hiding from. "Thank you, Tanya. You kindness will not go unappreciated. Goodbye."

"So?" Jasper asked as Carlisle snapped the phone shut.

"Tanya has approved of us coming to stay for however long we need, although she requests Bella wear lots of clothing to cover her scent as much as possible. Erin is still having some…difficulties." Edward's voice was calm as he spoke, not tearing his eyes from the lock of my hair he twirled between his fingers.

"You didn't tell her about the Volturi."

"I do feel horrible about that. But if I told them they were after us, do you think she would still let us stay? We _need_ their help Edward, and you know that."

"And Jacob?"

Edward answered, still not looking up. Carlisle paused for a short time.

"As long as he doesn't harm anyone, Tanya is fine with it, although Eleazar is against Jacob staying with us."

"Of course. Eleazar has always been overly cautious." Edward's voice held an annoyed edge.

"Which is why it would be beneficial to have him near us." Carlisle's expression changed only the slightest bit. Edward spoke through clenched teeth, looking up at Carlisle for the first time.

"His preservation instinct reminds me of Victoria."

"Relax. She's dead now, Edward," Jasper's voice spoke from across the table.

Apparently he and Alice had been listening in. A wave of tranquility washed over the room, and I felt Edward's muscles loosen. "She can do Bella no harm." His words seemed to register and Edward relaxed the rest of the way.

Esme glided in like a silent ghost and planted a nervous kiss on Carlisle's cheek.

"We can stay at Tanya's?" Esme asked. Carlisle just nodded. Esme sighed in relief, closing her eyes for a prolonged moment before opening them and scanning the room. "Is everyone ready to go?" Five heads nodded including mine. "Rosalie? Emmett?" She said softly. They were beside her in a flash, a medium sized duffle bag in Emmett's hand left, Rosalie's shoulder in his other.

"We're ready," Rosalie's cool voice informed her.

"Good," Carlisle addressed all of us. "We can leave when Jacob gets back."

"You let him phase?" Edward's voice was shocked, seeing Carlisle's memory I supposed.

"Once again I miscalculated his rate of recovery. He's telling the rest of the pack everything." Carlisle explained. Edward didn't respond, only nodded back, looking down at our entwined fingers. I heard a loud sneeze as Jacob threw open the front door with a loud bang.

"Speak of the devil," Edward muttered quietly.

"Did you inform the pack of everything?" Carlisle asked. Jacob paused in the doorway, staring at the wood of the doorframe.

"Yah."

"Are you ready to leave?" The last rays of the setting sun glinted off Jacob's dark hair, giving him the strange effect of a red halo. He didn't respond, only bobbed his head minimally.

Silently all the vampires rose. I took one last look around, realizing this might be the last time I would set foot in this house—no matter in what sense of the word it may be.

Maybe I would be immortal next time.

Maybe there wouldn't be a next time.

Maybe I would be dead.

I squeezed Edward's hand with all my might as he led me through his house and out the front door.

I was confused when we piled into Carlisle's black Mercedes.

"Aren't we running?" I'd asked.

"It would leave too strong of a scent—all of us running together. There will be close to no trail if we take a car." We all fit, surprisingly into the sleek car with room to spare (although Alice sat on Jasper's lap by choice). Jacob sat as far from the nearest vampire as possible, his nose wrinkled. The first night of the 48 hour car ride passed. I slept in the car, insisting there was no need to stop. I leaned into Edward's stone chest, letting the soft purr of the Mercedes and Edward's hummed melody lull me to sleep.

When I woke, more than one pair of eyes was on me. I lifted my face from Edward's icy chest to look at his face.

"Where are we?" I asked groggily.

"Canada," Edward whispered softly, smoothing my—I assumed—frizzy hair with an icy hand. "We're about half way there." He paused for a moment. I looked over at Jacob who was staring distantly thought the tinted windows. "He's just a little upset," Edward's voice was in my ear, so soft only I could hear. "You talked a lot last night."

I stared up at him, mortified.

I had talked last night in front of the entire Cullen family and Jacob. Heat flooded my cheeks.

"What did I say?" I managed to rasp. My throat was dry. Edward's eyes softened.

"The usual. My name, and that you loved me."

"That's…not so bad." I allowed. But something in his expression made me edgy. "There was something else, wasn't there?" His eyes tightened.

"You said…" he hesitated. ""I wish I didn't hurt you so much."" His voice was quiet. I glanced around the car to find all other eyes averted from me. I glanced down at my hands.

My black hole theory had even seeped into my dreams.

I didn't respond. Finally he broke the silence. "Why?" Was his simple question.

"I…" half of me wanted to tell him my black hole analogy, but the smarter half of me told the other that he would just deny it anyway. "I just don't want to cause you pain because you want my blood so badly." He pulled me into a hug.

"It's no pain anymore. I've lived thinking I'd lost you forever, remember. My entire being shies away from anything that might invoke that kind of pain again. I would never hurt you." I shot a quick glance at Jacob, noting that the muscles in his jaw were clenched. I wondered if Edward was just ignoring his presence.

The rest of that day passed slowly. No one talked much. Edward, remembering my and Jacob's slight tendency to need food, convinced Carlisle to stop in several places to order fast food for me and Jake. I remembered laughingly how much he'd eaten at the werewolf bonfire the time I'd gone out to the cliffs and listened to the old legends. I stifled a giggle at the surprised expressions on the Cullen's faces when we stopped and Jacob ordered six cheeseburgers, two ten-piece chicken fingers, a large order of fries, and a jumbo coke with a smug smile.

And on top of that, he polished it all off in seven minutes flat.

I kept seeing flickers of _my_ Jacob in his eyes. When he'd caught my smile at his eating habits, for instance, and when I glanced over at him sometimes to find him looking at me. But then, just when I thought I'd seen him, the mask came back up and he gazed back out the window.

As the sun started to set, we were almost to the half way through Canada. I spent another night in Edward's arms, careful to not think about black holes and broken hearts as I slipped into unconsciousness.

I woke the next day at—according to Jasper's watch—noon. I wonder how long it had actually taken to fall asleep.

"Did I say anything last night?" I asked Edward as I straightened myself up on the seat.

"Just my name," he said, his face exposing nothing. I sighed, leaning against his arm, my head tilted down on his shoulder. He reached a hand up to place it on my head. "We'll be there by nightfall," Edward assured me.

By three in the afternoon, I could tell Jacob was getting antsy. He shifted his position around, still staring out the window.

"Do you need to go to the bathroom or something?" Edward asked scathingly, glaring at Jacob. In response, he lashed out—two days in a car with vampires must have rubbed his nerves raw. I really couldn't blame him.

"I haven't been able to phase in two days, okay? It's hard enough trying to keep my shape together without you harping on me." Edward didn't respond but continued to glare. I touched my fingertips softly to his cheekbone, and he turned his gaze to me, his expression softening. I sighed in relief once his dark glare was turned away from Jacob.

Two more hours rolled past like the barren tundra landscape outside the windows of the sleek black car. The car slowed as Carlisle pulled us off the Alaskan Highway and we rolled past the Anchorage city limits.

"Why are we stopping here?" I asked.

"We're going to run from here. Denali National Park isn't that far from Anchorage." Carlisle drove to the airport and pulled the car into one of the long term parking spaces. Once we were out, luggage in hand, we started walking north.

"Until we reach a secluded area; away from the public eyes, we have to walk," Carlisle explained. It was cold in Alaska. Even more so than in Forks, though it was only marginally.

I pulled my jacket tighter around me as we walked through downtown and then through suburb-like housing areas. The landscaping, to my surprise, more resembled my long ago home in Phoenix than the lush, green coated scenery of Forks. Only here, there was grass, although it was covered with a fine layer of frost, though it was only the middle of August.

When finally, the houses ceased, Edward pulled me onto his back, and I locked my legs around his middle without a word. I watched in awe as Jacob—a fair ways away—shimmered out of existence, replaced by the large russet colored wolf.

And all of a sudden we were running.

I squeezed my eyes shut and buried my face into the bronze hair that covered the back of Edward's head. I tried to focus only on the amazing smell.

More quickly than I would have though, Edward's hands were untangling my legs and slipping me to the ground. The crunch of frost under-boot broke the silence.

When I looked up, I was standing in front a large house painted a pale green and white to match the ice-covered grass. To my surprise there were actually trees surrounding this house as far as I could see. Tall pines, and spruces, but also medium height spindly trees with no leaves.

The house itself, unexpectedly, resembled the Cullen's in its open, airy feel. Large, double French doors accented the front of the house that we were facing and huge, intricately carved windows that hinted at consuming entire walls of rooms were dashed across the face of the mansion.

All three stories of the magnificent house loomed before us.

I was shocked speechless.

Suddenly, the left door swung open and out strode one of the most beautiful vampires I had seen (although Rosalie still beat her hands down).

She held herself with a cat-like elegance, but it was somehow different from the way Victoria had seemed. Not primal, but refined. Her strawberry blonde hair hung straight to her waist where it curved in slightly. She looked as if she had become immortal in her late teens to early twenties. The face that greeted us was one of timeless beauty. The high cheekbones and overall narrowness of her face somehow made me think of the Quilautes, although her features did not hint at Native American descent, and her skin was as pale as the rest of the Cullens as it shimmered in the setting sun.

"You've finally arrived," she said, her voice—not as high as Alice's, but still higher than Esme's—held a tone of silky authority in it.

Overall, a very alluring voice…almost as alluring as Edward's.

"Tanya," Carlisle greeted, stepping forward to take her hand, raising it to his lips before releasing it. She bowed her head in salutation. "I cannot tell you how much it means to us for you to do this." Tanya waved it off, and just smiled slightly. She turned her attention to the rest of us, scanning, her eyes pausing on Jacob, then me, but eventually coming to rest on Edward. His expression did not change.

"It's good to finally see you all again, Cullen family." Her golden eyes seemed to burn with intensity, even from this distance. "Welcome back."


	12. Chapter 11: Reunion

Shooting Star

**CHAPTER 11: **_**Reunion**_

"Are they here?!" A high voice shouted through the door, accompanied by a young vampire that looked about fourteen. She was a slender little thing, with an angular face and long light brown hair that waved gently to her ribcage. Tessa blurred past Tanya, causing her blonde locks to rustle in the slight wind, the loose gray tunic styled shirt she was wearing over dark jeans stirred with the speed.

"Alice!" The girl exclaimed, materializing in front of Alice, and bouncing up to kiss her cheek lightly and then hug her. Her light pink dress that hung to her knees swirled around her.

"Tessa!" Alice exclaimed, hugging her back.

"They're both girly-girls," Edward explained in my ear and I giggled. When Tessa finally broke away, she blurred over to me, standing two feet away, leaning forwards to examine me. Tanya watched with cautious eyes.

"So you're the infamous Bella. We've heard all about you!"

Beside me, Edward's mouth twitched up into a smile.

I wondered what thoughts were going through this Tessa's head. Now that she was closer, she was even prettier. She was one of those people that got more attractive when animated. She had freckles dusted across her cheekbones, and her golden eyes were perfectly almond shaped.

"Now, now, Tessa," Tanya's calm voice was suddenly right behind the girl, placing an elegant white hand on her shoulder. "Don't scare her off." Tessa flashed me a brilliant smile.

"It would take more than this little monster here to scare off Bella," Edward contradicted with a smile. I turned to him.

"We already had the discussion about the running and the screaming remember?" He smiled that crooked smile that always made my heart go hyperactive. Even more embarrassing here where I was sure everyone, with the exception of Jacob could hear it.

Speaking of Jacob, he was leaning against a tree near the far corner of the house, away from all the activity, observing with guarded eyes.

Tessa suddenly bent down at my feet to where there was a closed flower, covered in frost. She reached out one finger, gently stroking the bulb, and suddenly, the petals burst into a pink flurry as the flower opened. She plucked the flower, which was almost glowing with healthy pale pink petals, the melted frost taking the form of dew drops. She held it out to me with a smile.

"Welcome to our home, Bella." With what I guessed were bulging eyes, I reached out and took the flower, bringing it to my nose and inhaling as I closed my eyes. My lids flew open with surprise. It smelled amazing.

"Thank you," I managed weakly. Edward chuckled beside me.

"Tessa has what you would call a "green thumb"." She just smiled back, Tanya's hands on both her shoulders. Suddenly, Tanya's eyes widened as if she had just remembered something.

"Oh, how rude of me. Come in, everyone. Make yourselves at home." We all followed her though the elegant doors.

Once in the front room, I looked around with surprise. It had the same open, airy feel as the Cullens, and an entry room almost as large. The inside of the house was painted with bright colors ranging from the pastel green that covered the outside of the house, to sky blue, to midnight purple, to rose pink, to bloody red. It was amazing though, how all the odd colors seemed to match perfectly together to blend into a house with pizzazz splashed over the walls.

I suspected someone had had a little too much fun painting.

I suspected that someone was Tessa.

The furniture was better suited to a canopy house in Central America—grass woven baskets as ornaments in the corners, and couches of the same fashion with cushions adorned with stylish patterns—than the middle of Alaska.

"You've redecorated," Esme said, surprise and awe coloring her voice. I noticed all of them were staring around that way…with the exception of Edward.

"That was Tessa's idea," Tanya chuckled. "Edward didn't tell you?"

"No," Esme's tone didn't change.

"When I was here after this little trouble maker first entered my life," he nudged my arm gently. I smiled back at him, remembering my first day in Forks when he had glared at me all through Biology. And then the day in the meadow when he'd explained he'd actually escaped to Tanya's. Alice wandered around, brushing her fingertips across the edge of furniture and trailing them across the walls.

"Wonderful job, Tessa," Alice praised, awe in her voice. Tessa just smiled again. I could see she was the kind of person who did that a lot.

"I'm just glad you guys came to visit. It's been forever since we've hung out Alice."

"I know. Ten years, I believe."

"They're like sisters," I whispered to Edward. He just nodded.

"Just be glad Tessa wasn't there while we were planning the wedding. She's Alice times ten."

I could barely wrap my mind around the concept.

It was hard to imagine Alice's enthusiasm for all things decorative amplified.

"Where are the others?" Tanya asked softly. Tessa said nothing, just grinned at the doorway behind us. We all whirled around.

"We were wonderin' what all this noise was. So the Cullens finally decided to show up, huh?" In the doorway stood a lanky girl with cropped auburn hair, almost as short as Alice's, poking out of a red bandana she wore. Her face was more squared off than the others, yet still very beautiful. She was tough looking, and the tight tank top and cargo pants added to the affect. Her features looked of Hispanic descent, yet her skin was colorless as the rest of them.

"Now, Kate," a deep voice said. It beat the man to the doorway, but suddenly he materialized behind Kate, his pale hand slinking around her waist. He had a sharp face with bright eyes that drew attention. He was undeniably handsome, his black hair cropped in stylish uneven layers down to the tips of his ears. He wore a formal sweater with the collar of a white shirt poking up, similar to the style Edward sometimes wore. It was strangely at odds with Kate's…Indie appearance. They both looked as if they had been changed in their mid to late twenties. "It's not their fault no one's faster than you." She smirked at him.

"I'm not sure I agree with you on that one." Edward's voice was playful as he greeted them. "Hello Kate. Hello Eleazar."

"Hello Edward," the chorused together and then laughed.

"Hello, Carlisle," Kate said, taking Eleazar's hand and dragging him behind her. I could clearly see who was in charge of this relationship. She shook his hand, then releasing it so Eleazar could repeat her. Kate gazed around at all the faces. "It's great to see all you guys again. Lookin' great, Rose," Kate shot a one fingered salute at Rosalie. The corner of Rosalie's mouth just twitched, while Emmett's widened into a broad grin.

"Having fun with the harem, Eleazar?" Emmett joked. Eleazar smiled back playfully, trailing his fingers down Kate's bare arm.

"It's like living at the Playboy mansion." Tanya covered Tessa's ears, but she shook them off.

"I'm older than you, Tanya. Stop," she giggled. The rest of us laughed. I realized at once that Eleazar was the only male here. Lucky Kate, I thought with a smile. Tanya's laughing face suddenly turned questioning.

"Where's Erin?" She asked.

"Probably in her room sulking," Tessa offered, "you know how she doesn't like company."

"Erin!" Kate called, her voice louder than necessary. I knew the girl named Erin would hear if Kate had whispered. "Get your anti-social butt down here before I have to get up and drag it here!"

"Yeesh, Kate," sighed the girl that had just appeared behind Tanya. "Calm down." She had her straight golden blonde hair pulled up into a casual ponytail, a fringe of blonde bangs reached over the span of her forehead until it brushed her eyelids. Everything about her—including her face—screamed "athletic!" She was tall and lanky, like Jasper, and seemed frozen in her late teens. The plain white t-shirt she wore over her faded, ripped jeans just seemed to draw attention to her face which was…not quite scowling, but defiantly not smiling like the rest of them.

"_Erin's still having some…difficulties."_ I'd heard Carlisle say. Was she new to this life? It was almost like she an angrier, female version of Jasper.

"Hey, Jasper," she said to my surprise, her hand raising and flicking to the side in a casual half wave. Jasper's mouth twitched up into a smile as he returned the wave.

"They've been friends ever since they met," Edward whispered commentary in my ear. I nodded, staring around at all the new, pale, beautiful faces in awe.

"Everyone," Carlisle addressed the new faces, and motioned to me. I shock ran through me as all heads turned. "This…" he paused for dramatic effect, "is Bella." Edward's hand wrapped around my waist in comfort and I was grateful. I felt like I was a bug under a microscope. A chorus of "Hello, Bella"s and "Nice to meet you!"s greeted me.

"It's nice to meet you all," I mumbled back, exerting an effort to make eye contact.

"And this is Jacob," Carlisle motioned to Jacob as he leaned against the wall beside the door.

No one said hello to him.

I felt sorry for Jacob. There were a dozen vampires in the room, the smaller half of them scrutinizing him.

"You're the werewolf?" Tanya asked, true interest in her eyes.

"Yah," Jacob answered simply. A whispered rushed through the Alaskan vampires.

Out of nowhere, a small object—it was moving too fast for me to see what it was—zipped through the air and collided with Kate's forehead. She looked up in response.

She glared over at Erin who was giggling.

"Erin," Tanya scolded.

"What?" Erin's face snapped into an innocent, what-did-I-do expression. Tanya turned to Carlisle to say something, and another object whizzed from the table—this time I saw it was a paper clip—and hit Kate again.

"I swear, Erin, do that again…" Kate glared at Erin from across the room.

"Let's get you all settled in your rooms!" Tanya exclaimed, her louder tone putting an end to the petty quarrel. I was confused, and looked up at Edward with questioning eyes, seeking an explanation.

"Erin has telekinetic powers," he told me softly. I gazed back at the tall blonde girl with renewed awe. Erin caught my gawking, and smiled.

"You can move things with your _mind_?" I asked in wonder.

"Yup," she said, popping the "p" on her lips.

"All right," Edward's voice pulled my eyes away from Erin. "You can cross-examine them all later. Let's go see our room." I thought I saw Erin grin as Edward took my hand led me through one door, and then across that room to another. This room was a small family room with the same woven furniture covered in cushions, only this room had a coffee table with a glass top and a huge plasma screen dominating almost all of one wall. He turned me away from my ogling and to a door at the far end of the room. Opening this, I found a narrow white staircase.

"Do you want to tackle the stairs yourself at risk of injury, or should I carry you?" I rolled my eyes and him and started up the stairs, gripping the railing that was mounted to the wall with both hands. Then something occurred to me.

"We don't need a guide?" I asked, looking over my shoulder at him.

"I know what room they have for us," he smiled his crooked smile and tapped his head with one long finger. I sighed.

"Of course," I muttered. We reached the top which opened out into a long hallway, the walls painted pale blue with intricate vines dancing across them. With the rest of the house painted in such detail, you'd think every room painted that way would be too much, but it was decorated in such a way that it just made the house seem brimming with life.

I marveled at the skill.

Maybe Edward hadn't been joking when he'd said Tessa was Alice times ten. He led me to the end of the hall where he stopped at a mahogany door carved with the silhouette of a pine forest. He turned the knob and swung the door open.

"See what you think."

I passed through the doorway and stopped, Edward slipping in to stand behind me as I marveled.

It was a beautiful room. The walls were painted with trees to resemble the forest outside of Forks in the summer. The greens that filtered through the two dimensional forest reflected the actual dim light that streamed through the thick trees in Forks. Up against the wall opposite us was a huge bed with linens, blankets and pillows all in varying shades of green and brown.

"It looks like…our meadow…" I whispered, barely able to speak. Edward chuckled.

"I knew you'd like it."

"Like it?" I exclaimed, wheeling to face him, "I love it! This house is amazing!" I felt his cold hands on either side of my face.

And suddenly he was kissing me. My excitement, and worry, and fear, and everything else that had been whirling into a hurricane inside my head suddenly calmed and were replaced by only the feel of his icy lips on mine.

Finally, I broke away gasping for air.

"It's moments like that that I live for," Edward murmured, his eyes a darkened gold.

"Join the club," I gasped, trying to regain my breath and he chuckled.

"You really like Tanya's house?" Edward asked.

"Yes!" My tone was exuberant even to my own ears. "But," I allowed, "I would be happy to live in a cave." His eyebrows shot up. "As long as I was with you," I explained.

"As long as I was with you," he agreed, pressing his icy lips to mine once more.


	13. Chapter 12: Motivation

Shooting Star

**CHAPTER 12: **_**Motivation**_

That night I dreamed of Edward chasing me around our meadow, both of us laughing. He was going at human speed, following my footsteps. Every time I would look over my shoulder at him, he would smile an impish grin at me and speed up. When he finally reached me, I only felt his arms circle my waist from behind.

"_Tag_," he whispered in my ear. I turned to look him in the eye and met red ones, glowing; boring into mine. "_You're it_," he whispered as he leaned his mouth to my neck.

I'd woken up screaming.

"Bella! Bella!" Edward's concerned cries brought me to consciousness. I sat up, ramrod straight in the bed, the covers falling off the top half of me, and a cold sweat covering my skin. I turned to him and flung my arms around him, seeking comfort. "It was just a dream…" he assured, his hand making soothing circles on my back. "It was just a dream."

After he had calmed me down, I got dressed in a button down flannel shirt and jeans and headed downstairs. We walked through the same two rooms I had seen yesterday and then across the entry room to another room.

"The dining room," Edward explained with a smile. This room was painted relatively calm compared to the other overdone rooms. The walls were painted a calm, warm chocolate brown, and the furniture was at odds with the rainforest feel the others had had. The long table was a beautiful dark wood, the chairs the same. The fan above the table was intricately adorned with metal patterns. I marveled unchecked for a minute before I caught Edward looking at me with an amused smile and pulled my jaw back up.

Carlisle had thought to bring some food, so I had my usual pop tarts. Edward left to room to go talk to Carlisle, assuring me he would explain everything later. Tessa, sitting across from me at the table, watched me intensely as I chewed and swallowed each bite.

"It's just so long since I've been around someone who eats," she said in reply to my questioning gaze.

"You're not the first to say that," I said, taking another bite. She smiled again, reaching out her hand to stroke the wilting flowers in the vase that rested on the table. They immediately sprang back to life. I shook my head in awe.

"You're amazing," I told her.

"When I was human, I lived in the New York City of 1886. I'd always loved flowers." She started into her story with no further prompting from me. "But I lived in a little one room apartment with my mother, so we didn't have room or money to support a garden. Since I was little I wanted to be a florist. When I turned fourteen, I started working at a grocery store around the corner from our apartment building—saving up money. With the money I earned, I bought enough supplies and seeds to start my own rooftop garden. My plants were so healthy and beautiful…almost glowing. I used to spend hours up on the roof, tending to my flowers in the hot New York sunlight." She paused, a far away smile on her face. But then her expression darkened. "I remember that night very clearly.

"I wanted to plant my new strawberry seeds, but I didn't have any soil left to put in the pot. So I decided to sneak out to buy some. I walked out of the store, bag of plant food in my hands, and began to head home…but," she hesitated, her eyes quickly assessing my expression, "it was so dark—I got lost. And that's when _he_ sprang from behind me." The room went quiet for a time before she spoke again. "He drank, and left me for dead, although somehow…I was still breathing. Then three days later, when the pains stopped, the hunger started.

"I was fourteen at the time. I thought I'd gone crazy. But the thirst…it was too driving to ignore. But after I'd curbed it for the first time, I looked down at the girl I'd killed—" she cut herself off, drawing patterns on the table's smooth surface with her finger. "I couldn't believe I'd actually killed someone. I was in such denial. But that passed…and then came the guilt. I was so disgusted that I'd taken a human life that I ran and didn't stop. I ran north, up through Vermont and Maine, and then into Canada. I stumbled around in the wilderness who knows how many years. I grew very weak, but I was still convinced I'd gone crazy.

"But then…Erin appeared. I was so relieved when she showed up and was like me…pale skin, red eyes." Tessa smiled ruefully. "She told me of the world I had entered. She was from Arkansas, changed to be a newborn for an army…like the one in Seattle not too long ago. So sorry we couldn't help you out. Stubborn Irina was so distraught with grief over Laurent. He was nice, but I could tell he didn't want to be here. And after we heard he was still keeping up his old ties with this Victoria who was using him to get to you, we couldn't believe she still wanted revenge. She became someone we didn't even know. _Our_ Irina didn't exist anymore when she left." She looked up suddenly. "I got off topic there. Sorry. I do tend to ramble."

"No problem," I told her, "go on."

"So where was I? Oh, Erin, yes." She smiled, "Erin and I traveled together, moving west across Canada. We only fed twice; I don't know how we managed to keep out strength. We both felt incredibly guilty over killing humans, but we just couldn't stop ourselves. Finally we made it to Alaska, and…there was Tanya. We told her how we hated the killing, and she showed us a new way of life." Tessa shrugged, "And we've been with her ever since."

"Wow," was all I could manage to say. Tessa grinned at me.

"Kate and Eleazar were already here with Tanya when we came. She found Kate in Los Angeles in 1905. They traveled together, stumbling across Carlisle in Chicago. He was working as a doctor in a hospital there. This was before he turned Edward. After speaking to him, they decided to live as he did and eventually settled down here together. Shortly after…around 1934, they found Eleazar. He'd been lost in the wilderness for days, and was about to die of starvation and gangrene. So, Tanya turned him. Kate and Eleazar have been together since then. It took Erin and me a while to get here, so we didn't make it to Alaska until the 1950's. And then Irina came. She never really talked much about her past…"

"Was that completely necessary, Tessa?" Edward's voice was suddenly beside me.

"She's surprisingly easy to talk to," she told Edward, winking at me. I smiled. Edward stared at her skeptically. "Besides, Bella is going to be one of us soon, right? She's a Cullen now, and we tell you everything. She has a right to know."

"Regardless," Edward trailed off, scooping me up of the chair and into his arms like princes do when they rescue a princess.

"Regardless of what?" I asked as he carried me out of the room.

"I have no idea."

"Wow. Edward can't think of anything to say. The apocalypse is coming." He chuckled, setting me down.

Suddenly, I thought of something.  
"Has anyone seen Jacob today?" I looked at my watch. It was eleven thirty. I'd slept in. Edward closed his eyes for a minute.

"He's up in his room, sulking," he informed me, his eyes still closed. When he opened them, an annoyed expression had crept across his face.

"Should I go up and talk to him?" I asked, carefully watching Edward's face for any sign on anger, or discomfort. But it remained no more than annoyed.

"He'd like to talk to you. He wants to apologize."

"For what?" I asked, perplexed. He pulled gently on a lock of my hair.

"Go talk to Jacob and find out."

A few minutes later I stood outside the door Edward had guided me to. It was on the third story, at the end of the hall. The door was a rich auburn colored wood.

"I'll be in our room if you need me," Edward said, his hand hesitating slightly as he pulled it off my shoulder. I listened, but there were no retreating footsteps. He was there and then he wasn't.

I knocked on the door twice.

"Jake?" I called. "It's me, Bella." Silence answered me. I knocked again. "Can I come in?" I heard a loud sigh on the other side of the door and then heavy footsteps. The door swung open.

"What do you want, Bella?" His voice seemed tired.

"Edward said you wanted to talk to me."

"Damn." Another sigh as he stepped aside. "Come in." I did so and looked around. The room was painted one solid color—a deep blue, like the sky right after the sun completely sets and you are just staring to see the stars. The bed was a pale yellow—almost white, along with all the other furniture: a bedside table with a lamp, a desk and chair…the same as in Edward's and my room.

"Nice room," I complimented.

"Yah. S' nice."

"So what did you want to talk to me about?" I asked.

"Ah," he ran a hand through his hair, sighing frustratedly. "I wanted…to apologize for the other night. I was just scared." His words came out in a rush. "I'd never been attacked like that, and then to see you there with him…my brain just shut down. I didn't know what I was doing."

"You're forgiven," I said at once. There was a long pause and I could sense there was something he wasn't telling me. "What else did you want to say?" Jacob didn't speak, just awkwardly rubbed his arm. "C'mon, Jake. You can tell me anything. Life of servitude up for grabs." He might've smiled but it was gone too fast for me to see.

"There was someone else in the clearing." His tone turned dark and I waited for him to go on. He didn't.

"Explain, Jacob. I don't understand." My brow furrowed in confusion.

"You know how is said there were five?"  
"Yah."  
"Well there were five. But then as I ran through it again and again in my head, there was another, standing in the shadows were I couldn't see. The girl—"

"Jane."  
"Yah, her. Once I remember her talking to him. I was too freaked out to notice. I suddenly couldn't move…like all my muscles had locked up."

"What did she say?" My hands started to shake so I laced my fingers together.

"She said: 'Not now, Matthew, I want to see his strength.' And then when I could move again, I attacked."

"So there are two new guardsmen." My voice was low…horrified.

"And I take it this is a bad thing?" Jacob assumed.  
"So he made it so you couldn't move?" I asked for clarification.

"Yah, it was like I suddenly wasn't in control of my body anymore…I was still conscious of what was happening, but I was just inside my body, not in control of it." I contemplated that for a moment.

"Anthony and Matthew…" I breathed.

"So the first bloodsucker can cancel out powers and stuff, right?" I nodded. "And the other one…can paralyze people?"

"Maybe."

"Or maybe he just takes control of your body. That might be it." We were both so lost in our own thoughts that the knock on the door made us both jump.

"Since I'm already listening," Edward's voice said from the other side of the door, "may I come in and possibly contribute." I glanced at Jacob. He glared at the door and mouthed the words "go away" but then sighed, shrugged, and rolled his eyes.

I strode to the door, opening it. A second later, Edward was across the room. I shut the door and walked back to my place in front of Jacob.

"Matthew?" Edward asked.  
"That's what the little girl bloodsucker called him."

"If what you suppose is true—that this Matthew really can take over the bodies of others—than the Volturi is growing increasingly powerful. Why, though?"

"Remember the point Carlisle brought up?" I asked, and Edward's curious gaze turned on me. "That Aro was afraid we might try to overpower the Volturi."

"Aro would have seen if we were planning any such things when he read Alice's thoughts. He would have known we would never try that."  
"But you said the thought was defiantly there. That he wanted you and Alice and…" I gulped, "possibly me."  
"Yes. Both of the thoughts were there. Very prominently. He is very good friends with Carlisle, but if he thought he was in danger of being overthrown, he would not hesitate to attack."

"So do you think that he thinks that we want to overthrow them and become the Volturi ourselves?"

"Maybe," Edward said, "but the Volturi love their rules too much to attack without a motive."

"But doesn't he know Carlisle better than that?" I asked.

"Yes," Edward answered carefully, "but the fear of losing his power overshadowed his trust and friendship with Carlisle. He is not logical when it comes to fear."

"So let me get this straight," Jacob's deep voice said for the first time in a while, "the bloodsucker royalty think that the Cullens are trying to overthrow them?"

"Possibly," Edward agreed.

"So what do they do if they think someone is trying to overpower them?"

"Destroy them." Edward's dark tone sent a shiver of fear slithering down my spine. "But if the Volturi had wanted to take us out, they would have undoubtedly done it by now."

"Maybe Aro doesn't want to destroy you and Alice…or Carlisle for that matter. Maybe he thinks it's too big of a waste." Jacob spoke again:

"Do you think they'll be after the pack too?"

"If they think we're allied with you." Edward sighed, running his fingers through his perfect bronze hair. "If they think you intend to help us overpower them, then yes, the pack is at risk."

Everyone I cared about…everyone I loved was in danger.

Because of me.

Carlisle, Esme, Rosalie, Emmett, Jasper, Alice…Edward and Jacob. And the new vampires I'd only met yesterday: Tanya, Kate, Eleazar, Erin, Tessa. They were all at risk because I had been thrown into the mix.

I knew now, I wasn't the only target, but it was because of the cross hairs centered on me, that the people I cared about were now visible in the scope.

I tried to swallow, but found my throat was dry.

"What do we do?" I rasped, my voice barely a whisper.

"Well, first thing's first." Edward's eyes darkened the slightest bit. "We need to go tell Carlisle."


	14. Chapter 13: Chemistry

Shooting Star

**CHAPTER 13: **_**Chemistry**_

Before I knew it we were downstairs in the front entry hall. Tanya and the rest of her family were no where to be seen.

"Carlisle?" He was there before I could blink. He could probably hear the rushed urgency in the way Edward spoke. "There's something we need to tell you." I hadn't heard Jacob follow us downstairs, so it surprised me when he sighed.

"Won't we have to go outside so the other bloodsuckers don't hear?" His voice was soft, but he looked annoyed.

"Yes," Edward agreed. "We'll run a ways out and then talk."

"Should I get Esme?" Carlisle asked, but Edward was shaking his head before he could finish.

"It might make Tanya think we're hiding something if we all rush off to meet in secret."

"But we are hiding something," I said, my voice barely a whisper. Edward's eyes tightened but he didn't say anything on the subject.

"You can explain later," he said instead. Carlisle nodded his approval. "Come on, Bella." He took hold of my hand pulled me towards the front door. I had enough time to grab my coat from the hook beside the door where I'd left it the previous night before I was thrust out into the frigid Alaskan afternoon.

Edward kept walking and didn't look back.

As soon as we hit the tree line, he swung me up onto his back and we were running. A second later, a risked a peek backwards to find Carlisle following us, Jacob a few yards behind. It did not surprise me that Jacob was in his wolf form. Then the motion sickness kicked in and I buried my head between Edwards's shoulder blades.

The next second we stopped, and Edward helped me down from his back. Carlisle was standing in front of Edward, his face expectant, and I even thought I detected a hint of worry in it.

"So am I gonna tell him, or are you, bloodsucker?" Jacob's husky voice called as he strode into view, back to his human form.

"Carlisle," Edward started, ignoring Jacob's comment. "Jacob said there was a sixth vampire in the clearing the day he encountered the Volturi." Carlisle's eyebrows shot up.

"What?"  
"He said Jane called him Matthew. He said his muscles locked up, and he couldn't move."

"Like somebody took over my body," Jacob explained for himself, looking directly at Carlisle. "I could see everything, but couldn't make my body move."

"He can control the bodies of others?" Carlisle asked.

"It certainly seems that way." Carlisle was silent for a moment. I looked over at Edward, and he looks as if he was concentrating on something. Very probably Carlisle's thoughts. "Yes," Edward answered an unspoken question.

"Aro thinks I mean to overthrow his rule?" I was surprised that, despite everything, Carlisle's voice was as calm as ever.

"That's what he was most afraid of in Italy. Besides their own, ours is the largest coven in know existence. Then comes Tanya's. The Volturi know we are very close friends with Tanya and her family. Together, that makes twelve of us, not including Bella."

"That's still not nearly as large as the Volturi's guard," Carlisle pointed out.

"No, but you know how Aro is, Carlisle. He's not rational when it comes to things like this." He just nodded, thinking.

"But what about Caius and Marcus…and Heidi for that matter?"

"They were also wary of us." More silence. I shot a glance at Jacob. He looked confused.

"But surely they know we don't mean to…"

"There's no way to know for certain what their motives are, especially since that damned Anthony. He's making things very difficult." Edward's hands were balled into fists in helpless frustration.

"But yes, I see no other reason for this kind of assault. What else would drive them into such a drastic action besides the fear of being displaced from their rule?" Carlisle's face was grave, the shadows under his eyes seeming to stand out.

"Exactly."

"But Edward," I objected, "didn't you say Aro would have seen if we were planning an attack when he read Alice's mind? And we weren't, so he wouldn't have been able to see anything like that."

"That's true," Edward mused, thinking more seriously now. "There is no basis."

"Or perhaps there is something larger going on that we are yet unaware of," Carlisle said softly. Edward turned on him, eyes confused.

"What do you mean?"  
"If there is no basis, why would they be reacting so strongly? It's illogical, and that is not the Volturi."  
"But Aro is paranoid when it comes to--" Carlisle cut him off.

"I know Aro. He does not trust anyone, but he would not act _this_ foolishly."

"Does anyone want to hear _my_ theory?" Jacob's husky voice made me jump with the contrast of Edward and Carlisle's silky murmuring. They didn't respond, only stared at him, expectantly. "You say the little girl bloodsucker--"

"Jane," Edward corrected.

"Whatever. You say Jane is like second in command from the top three leeches?"

"Aro, Marcus, and Caius. And yes she is. She's very important to Aro especially. To put it simply, she leads the Volturi's guard."

"Okay then. Maybe this Jane got a little tired of being these three vamp's minion after, like, centuries."

"Jane's not—" Edward started to argue but Jacob stopped him.

"Just hear me out, okay? Maybe she got tired of being bossed around. And maybe she thought controlling this guard wasn't enough; she got power hungry. You said this Anthony can make it so no bloodsuckers can use their powers on him?"

"Yes."

"Then she could have stuck close to this guy and hid her thoughts from this Aro. Then she used Matthew's powers to take control of all of them. Then they would be under _her_ rule."

Silence descended on the woods around us as we all digested Jacob's information.

Jane taking control? Would she…could she do that?

"Would Jane do something like that to Aro? She's been at his side longer than any of the rest of them besides Marcus and Caius. "

"When I was Italy, I got a look at her mind," Edward said. "She was fond of Aro, but there was some jealousy there. That was in Aro's mind too, but he passed it off as normal jealousy all the vampires who become guards have. He was too fond of her to think she would do anything like that."

"But did she ever think of taking over Aro's rule?" Carlisle asked.

"Not specifically. But there were some thoughts of power. Nothing definite, but the hunger for power was there. Also the thought that she mustn't let Aro touch her again." Edward's eyes were a year and half a world away. "There was something she didn't want him to see."

"But she kissed him while we were there, remember?" I said to Edward.

"She did," he agreed, "but she was thinking these things after that."

"Hmm."

"So I'm right?" There was a smug smile on Jacob's face.

"Like before, there's no way to know what's going on." Carlisle's tone was shaky, the amazing calm choppy. That really set my hands shaking. Edward felt them, and grabbed them both with his own. The icy touch felt reassuring, even though the air around us was already cold.

"It'll be all right, Bella," he whispered quietly; just for me.

"I know."

"Should we head back then?" Carlisle suggested. "Alice might be getting worried, our futures having disappeared and all." He gestured to Jacob, who snorted and rolled his eyes.

Edward didn't speak, only silently pulled me onto his back. I heard Jacob gasp behind me and a strange ripping noise. I looked back, and the huge red-brown wolf winked at me. I felt my mouth twitch unconsciously into a smile.

We ran back to Tanya's house where Jacob morphed back and redressed into his usual pair of jeans--no shoes, no shirt. As we walked in, Tanya was putting fresh flowers into a vase on the table in the dining room—we could see her through the doorway. Her eyes lit up as she saw us walk in.

"Oh, there you all are," Tanya said, striding forward to meet us. "Alice was getting worried when she couldn't see where you had gone." She was beautiful. "They're back, Alice!" She called. I guess all of them heard an "okay" from her, because they said nothing more. "Where you out hunting?" She asked, eyeing me and Jacob with confusion.

"_I_ was," Carlisle told her, a perfect actor. "Edward and Bella went out for some alone time, and Jacob needed to phase." The way Carlisle said it, the lie seemed perfectly plausible. If it had been me, I would have stuttered and blushed, and might as well have said that we'd all gone to see an elephant rampaging through the Alaskan forest.

"All right," Tanya said, seemingly convinced. Carlisle walked the opposite direction; into the TV room with a call:

"Esme?"

Jacob departed without so much as a goodbye or a backwards glance. But when Edward and I turned to go:

"Um, Edward?" Tanya asked. He turned, and I turned with him.

"Yes?"

"Could I talk to you for a minute?" Her voice had a hint of smugness as they flickered to me for a split second and then back to Edward's.

"Of course," he agreed, turning to me. "You go wait in the other room, Bella; I'll only be a moment."  
"Sure, no problem." My voice rasped, and I cleared it, smiling back at him. I started to walk towards the room with the TV Carlisle had exited through a moment ago, when I stopped. Looking back, I saw Edward and Tanya had moved into the dining room.

I knew it was wrong, but I had a sudden urge to know what they were talking about. I knew it was probably some benign topic, like how long we planned to stay, or was there anything we needed, but I couldn't shake the nagging feeling that it was something else.

I took one baby step so I was pressed to the doorframe of the dining room.

"_Tanya expressed a little interest. I let her know, in a very courteous, gentlemanly fashion, that I did not return that interest. End of story._"

My heartbeat sped up. It was a miracle he didn't pick it up, and turn; exposing me for my eavesdropping. He must have a lot on his mind.

"So what did you want to talk to me about, Tanya?" Edward was saying, his tone light, but still reflecting a hint of the intensity of our earlier conversation. From where I stood I could see Tanya, but not Edward.

A confident look came into her eyes, which were suddenly half-lidded.

"Ah, Edward," she sighed, stepping forward a step, "I've missed you."

"Tanya—?" Edward's voice cut off as she took another step. Tanya's head tilted to one side as if getting a better look. Her strawberry blonde hair tumbled out from behind her left ear, cascading over her shoulder. She was heartbreakingly beautiful. I leaned a fraction of an inch closer to the doorframe. This expanded my range of vision. I could see Edward now, confusion and surprise on his face. What could Tanya be thinking to make him so confused?

"You can't really be happy with that her, can you Edward?" She said the words so quietly I barely caught them. She took another step, and he took another mirroring one back, taking him out of my vision again. "I know someone like you needs…deserves so much more than a measly, plain human." My breath caught in my throat.

She was talking about me!

"Don't talk about Bella like that," Edward exclaimed, a touch of defensiveness in his voice.

"What is it about her that draws you in? She is so fragile, Edward. You probably can't even kiss her without the risk of killing her." Her voice was low, silky…seductive. A voice that would drive any human man crazy.

"I—" Edward started to protest, but stopped. I leaned a little closer. Now I could see Tanya had extended her hand out, and it now rested against Edward's pale cheek.

"You would never have to worry about killing _me_, Edward." Her voice was that same, low, silky, liquid tone as before.

I couldn't breathe.

I could _not_ compete with Tanya.

Edward didn't speak as she took another step. He stood still, frozen in the same place. His face was hard as stone.

"I'm married to her, Tanya." I couldn't read the emotions in his voice.

"You're not human, and marriage is a human event. You're not of that world, Edward. You don't belong with someone like her." Anger flared in Edward's eyes. He tried to speak, but she took the hand that was against his cheek and placed her index finger across his lips, silencing him. "You and I, on the other hand…" Tanya's hand was on his stomach, crawling slowly up his chest to his collarbone. "We are the same."

And she leaned forward to press her lips gently to his.

Edward did not pull away.

I stopped breathing.


	15. Chapter 14: Truth

Shooting Star

**CHAPTER 14: **_**Truth**_

The rest of the room around me blurred out of sight.

There was only Tanya and Edward.

I couldn't breathe.

Time stopped.

I had always known I wasn't good enough for him. I could not compete with this gorgeous, immortal creature. What she had said was true. He deserved so much better. He did not belong in my world, or I in his. We were so different, and he and Tanya were the same. They were both heartbreakingly beautiful, both strong, both intelligent.

Both immortal.

I small sob escaped my lips and, through my vision that was now swimming with tears I hadn't noticed brimming over, I saw Edward look up. Had one whole second passed?

"Bella?!" His voice was horrified. I didn't want to see. My legs pulled me away, my face in my hands. I was sobbing now, but I didn't care who heard me. "Now look what you've done, Tanya!" I heard Edward shout. "How dare you." I was running through the TV room, but my leg caught on a chair and I went sprawling. I fell face first into the carpet.

But I got up, scrambling and blind, and kept running. I reached the stairs, ignoring his voice calling my name behind me. Wrenching open the door to the stair well, I felt around for the railing, using it to guide me up the stairs.

"Bella! Bella, wait! Let me explain!"

I ignored him and continued up the stairs. I tripped again, but gripped the railing so I didn't go tumbling down the stairs and break my neck.

When I reached the top of the stairs, I sprinted down the hall to the meadow room, fumbled with the doorknob for a minute before pushing the door in, scrambling inside, and slamming the door shut behind me. I flung myself across the room and onto the bed, burying my face in a pillow.

"Bella!" Edward called from the other side of the door. "Please let me explain! Bella, love, please!"

His voice was so beautiful. Even through all of my pain, I could appreciate that. Begging and pleading, his voice was still that of an angel's. And by some miracle the angel was calling my name.

He'd said he'd loved me so many times. He'd shown me. He'd married me. He'd promised to make me immortal so that I could be by his side for the rest of eternity. Yet after all of that, I still thought I didn't deserve him.

"Bella, please let me in."

Slowly, moving like an old woman, swung my legs off the bed, and crossed the room. It seemed to take an eternity to reach the door. When I did, I gradually turned the doorknob and opened the door a crack—just barely enough so I could see his face.

I knew what he was seeing on my face. Tear tracks would be staining my cheeks. My eyes would be circled in red. My eyes would be holding pain. But I couldn't mask any of it because the pain was so fresh.

Once he saw my face, his twisted into a horrified expression. Agony shot across his flawless features.

"Bella…"he whispered, his expression so heartbreakingly pained and beautiful. I opened the door all the way, moving like I was only half conscious.

I felt his cold arms around me. He buried his face in my hair. I didn't know what to say…didn't know what I _could_ say.

"Bella, what did you see?" He asked me in a hushed, soothing tone, his hand stroking my hair.

"She said—" my voice cracked, so I cleared my throat and started again. "She said you couldn't possibly be happy with me—that you deserved someone better. She said you didn't belong in my world, and that we're too different. Unlike her. And then she kissed you." Pain shot through me. Clear and strong. As I spoke the words myself, I realized the truth of them.

"You know I love only you. _Tanya_ kissed _me_. You are the only one I will _ever_ love. For eternity…and beyond that. No one else. It will always be just you and me." His arms constricted around me.

I sobbed again as the image of Tanya's lips on his flashed in my mind.

"But she…" I trailed off, the sobbing starting again. Edward scooped me up and sat me on the bed.

"You think what she said was true?" A hint of anger edged into his tone. I drew my knees up to my chest, and stared at them, tears swimming in my eyes again.

"It _was_ true."

Abruptly, strong hands ripped my arms from around my legs, and my knees from up against my chest. I was pressed back against the bed, and Edward was suddenly over me, his legs on either side of mine, his hands circling my wrists and pinning them beside my head on the pillow.

Anger burned in his golden eyes as I stared back at him, my sob locked in my throat.

"You think I prefer _Tanya_?!" He was defiantly mad now. I couldn't move…I was paralyzed.

And his lips were crushing mine—cold and urgent and furious. My eyes fluttered shut, my lips moving against his. My heart went into hyperactive mode. His hands freed mine, but his body held me pinned against the covers. My hands, of their own accord, reached up to tangle in his bronze hair. His hands were all over me—on my face, on my arms, on my waist.

His kissed me with an infuriated need that was like nothing I'd ever experienced.

His mouth opened against mine, his tongue, ice cold, tracing my lips. So far gone was I that I did not remember to keep myself in check—to make sure I didn't make it too hard for him—that I sighed, parting my lips.

Instead of pulling away, startled like he had the first time we'd kissed, he seized my bottom lip between his own, gently drawing it into his mouth for a split second. The flavor was better than anything I'd ever tasted.

It was so sweet…so incredibly sweet.

And then his tongue licked across the front of my teeth. Edward groaned into my lips and I shivered beneath him. His icy tongue traced my lips once more before his slowed against mine, and he finally pulled away.

We stayed like that for a long minute, both of us breathing heavily.

"Edward…" I breathed.

"Do you think I would ever do that with Tanya?"

"Tanya?" After a kiss like that, I had completely forgotten Tanya. His lips pressed to mine again, but very gently and sweetly this time.

"I love you more than everything else in this world put together, Bella. I would rather die than be with anyone else."

"I know you're much better than me in so many ways," I mumbled, "but would it count for anything if I said I love you too?" Instead of responding, he just ducked his head to trail his mouth along my collar bone.

The painted trees around us seemed to let in light that filtered through the leaves just like it did in _our_ meadow. The slow movements his lips were making on my collar bone were making my breath come in short gasps.

After what seemed like years, he raised his head, and rolled over onto his back beside me. I laid my head on his shoulder, and cuddled against his stone chest. A light breeze ruffled the curtains covering the open window. The sun streamed through the window and glittered off Edward's face and arms. I heard myself suck in a breath at his beauty.

This was just like the night we were dancing in the Cullen's front entry…when everything was at temporary peace. Everything was perfect. The moment was perfect. I had no want or need to do anything but just lay there in his arms on the bed in the meadow room, watching the sun glitter off his skin, and trying not to fall asleep.

At that moment, the Volturi chasing after us for an unknown reason…Jacob's pack in trouble…Tanya trying to kiss Edward…

All of it seemed so far away. Like we were in our own world again. Like there rest of the world was all just an unpleasant dream, and we were the only ones who really existed. I listened to the steady rhythm of his breathing as my eyelids drooped.

I must've fallen asleep because I woke up to a scream.

"Somebody help! They're going to kill each other! Somebody! _**Please!**_"

Edward was up off the bed in a flash, pulling me with him. He carried me in his arms as he flew down the stairs and into the entry hall.

"Somebody! Make them _stop_!" The screaming was coming from outside. Edward burst through the front door.

At first I only saw Tessa, her eyes shining with fear and confusion. But then I heard the vicious growling coming from the forest. Edward set me down and I turned to see.

At the edge of the trees there was a pale figure with a red top and beige cargo pants. I realized at once that it was Kate. She was snarling ferociously at something else in the woods. It took a minute for my eyes to adjust—to see the humongous shape that almost blended in to the trees.

The other shape was a huge russet colored wolf, its lips pulled back over its razor sharp teeth.

Jacob growled a fierce snarl before lunging for Kate's throat.


	16. Chapter 15: Battle

Shooting Star

**CHAPTER 15: **_**Battle**_

"NO!" The cry escaped my lips before I registered what was happening. There was a fierce snarl and a shriek of surprise. My eyes were moving too slow. Everything was moving so fast it was blurring. I couldn't keep up. Kate and Jacob.

And suddenly Edward was blurring towards the tumult.

"Don't hurt him, Kate!" Edward shouted as he reached them before I could blink. "He doesn't know what he's doing!"

Jacob was lunging again and again.

Kate's expression of rage twisted into confusion at Edward's words. Jacob charged at Kate. She feigned left, and then darted right in an impossibly fast motion. Jacob sailed past her, landing soundlessly on his feet and whirling around to face her again.

Edward materialized in front of Jacob his arms outspread.

"Stop this, Jacob. She's one of us!" He ordered. I gasped as Jacob lashed out a huge paw and batted Edward aside, lunging for Kate again. Edward flew through the air and landed a few feet from where I stood. My legs, the muscles suddenly unlocked, pulled me towards him.

"Edward!" I cried as I sank to my knees.

"I'm fine," he muttered, his eyes locked on the fight. "He won't listen to reason. He was out running while Kate was hunting, and they came across each other." I heard myself suck in a breath but Edward didn't look back at me. "Our eyes turn red when we hunt, you know. He only smelled her and saw the red eyes and immediately thought she was one of the Volturi." Edward explained Jacob's thoughts in a rushed tone.

"He thought she was one of them?"

"Yes, and now he's trying to take her down. He's blinded with rage and fear. He won't listen to a thing I say."

Kate kept dodging and dodging.

Jacob flung himself at her, and his paw clipped her shoulder. She let out a strangled howl of pain, but I let out the breath I hadn't realized I'd been holding when her arms stayed attached to the rest of her.

"Help her," Tessa pleaded from behind us.

"Go get Tanya," Edward commanded, rising to his feet. I mirrored him.

"But—" Tessa started to protest, but Edward cut her off.

"I said _go_!" She was gone in a flash, the front door banging shut behind her.

Kate snarled as Jacob's teeth grazed her trailing hand, and I saw a clump of white fly off into the surrounding trees. A finger? I shuttered involuntarily.

Before I knew what I was doing, I was running towards the awful growling.

"Bella, no!" Edward cried, suddenly running beside me. "Don't go near him!"

"You said he wouldn't listen to you. He loves me, Edward, maybe he'll listen to me." I could feel tears of fear streaming down my cheeks. Edward, seeing something in my face or hearing something in my voice, fell back as I approached the battle.

"Jake!" I shouted. He turned to me for a split second before wheeling back to throw himself into another attack. "Jake, listen to me! She's Kate. She's one of us!" I was twenty feet away. Jacob didn't spare me another glance.

Ten feet away.

"Jake, stop this! _Please_!" No response.

Five feet.

"Jacob, STOP!" I screamed.

Three feet.

He turned his head to look at me. I could see myself, my face twisted into an expression of fear and worry reflected in his deep black eyes. He paused for one second, but I saw no flicker of recognition in his eyes.

And then, as if in slow motion, his front right paw lashed out and struck me in the chest, sending me sprawling to the ground fifteen feet away.

"_Werewolves are unstable_," Edward had said, "_The people near them get hurt._"

Pain exploded in my side.

"Bella!" Edward bellowed, and I felt his icy hands around me, pulling me to him. I sensed his head turn towards the door to the house.

As if from underwater, I heard a variety of voices.

"Oh, no…!" was that Esme's?

"Kate!" A low male voice called. Eleazar I guessed vaguely.

"What's going on?" Was that Erin's voice. I heard more murmuring, and thought I recognized Rosalie's and Emmett's voices.

"Bella!" A high voice cried. Alice? "Edward, what happened?" I felt another cold hand lay on mine.

"She tried to calm him down."

"You said he wouldn't attack, Carlisle," Tanya's voice sounded aggravated.

"_He_ promised he wouldn't." Carlisle sounded hurt.

"He came across Kate while she was hunting," Edward explained from above me. Alice's hand continued to soothingly stroke the back of my hand. "He thought she was one of them."  
"One of who? Carlisle, what is going on?!" Tanya demanded.

"I'll explain later." Carlisle promised, "First we need to get Jacob calmed down."

I opened my eyes a fraction of an inch, just in time to see Carlisle pull a good sized needle out of the black bag he was carrying.

"Good thinking, Carlisle," Edward praised.

"I'll get it," Erin said. She stared at the needle until it rose off of Carlisle's palm and flew towards the fight where Kate was still trying to dodge Jacob's relentless attacks.

The needle soundlessly soared up behind Jacob and jammed itself into his back left leg.

Jacob let out a strangled howl of rage, turning around to face whoever had stuck the needle in his leg. But there was no one there. Jacob turned back to Kate, but she darted sideways, towards us. Jacob started after her but stumbled a little, tripping over his own feet. I realized what had happened at once.

Jacob had been drugged.

The huge red-brown wolf staggered toward Kate, before collapsing onto his feet. Jacob twitched; vibrated, and then his shape exploded. I blinked and Jacob lie on the ground near the tree line, curled up into a defensive ball, his black sweatpants lying beside him.

"Emmett," Edward ordered, and Emmett sprinted towards Jacob's unconscious figure, picking him up and darting into the house and upstairs. The rest of them followed excluding Edward, Esme, Carlisle, and Alice.

"Is she going to be all right?" Esme asked in a quiet voice.

"Yes," Edward's tone was unreadable.

"Get her inside so I can take a look at her," Carlisle said, and I felt myself being lifted off the ground.

"Jacob did this?" Alice's voice was incredulous. Edward didn't respond.

I was only vaguely aware of being carried into the house and up the stairs, down the hall, into our room, and laid gently on the bed. I felt Carlisle's hands slowly draw my shirt up a ways. I gasped in pain as his hand brushed my rib.

"I think her rib is broken," he said. His fingers probe around my other ribs. They ached, but didn't send shocks of pain shooting through me. "And a couple of them are bruised too."

"Is she still conscious?" Esme's voice asked from a ways away.

"Mmmm," I mumbled to answer her.

"Bella," Carlisle's voice was calm, "does it hurt anywhere besides your ribs?" I thought about it for a minute, trying to ignore the pain in my side.

"Mm-mm," I murmured, shaking my head slightly. Beside the bed, I heard Edward breath a sigh of relief.

"I'll have to put her to sleep while I set her rib," I heard Carlisle say. Edward must have nodded because the next thing I felt was a prick in the crease of my elbow. A needle?

"Go to sleep, Bella," I guess Edward's voice was meant to be soothing, but it sounded tense, almost angry. I vaguely felt his cold lips at my collarbone before I drifted into unconsciousness.

The first thing I was aware was the dull ache in my side. But then, as I became aware of that, I started to hear the voices. I focused on what they were saying, not ready to open my eyes yet.

"Neither of them has woken up yet." That was…Alice?

"I don't suppose Jacob would have." Defiantly Carlisle. "I gave him an extremely high dosage of anesthetic. He shouldn't be up for another ten to fifteen minutes."

"What about Bella," Edward's voice asked.

"She should be waking up soon."

"She'll open her eyes in twenty three seconds, actually," Alice said. I felt cold finger stroking my cheek.

"Edward…" I tried to speak, but the only sound that escaped my lips was a gurgled moan.

"Shh, Bella." Fingers were stroking at my forehead now. "It's okay."

"Edward…" I tried again, and it came out more clearly.

"Yes, I'm here." I opened my eyelids and tried to sit up, the pain in my side made me gasp for air.

"Lay back down, sweetheart," Esme said as she strode forward, pushing me back onto the bed. "You shouldn't move."

"What's going on? Where's Jacob? What happened?" The questions dribbled out uncontrollably. "Is Kate all right? Is Tanya mad? Will we be able to stay still? Does she know about the Volturi after us—?" Edward placed a finger over my lips, silencing me.

"Bella, Bella, calm down. Jacob's fine. He's up in his room asleep. Carlisle gave him a lot of anesthetic so he should be out for a little while longer still. And Kate isn't hurt at all."

"But her finger…"

"She found it and it was…reattached," Edward explained uncomfortably. I sighed in relief, my eyes drifting shut. "Do you want to go back to sleep?"

"No," I whispered. I slowly opened my eyes again. Edward's eyes, liquid golden and concerned, stared at me from above. "I want to be there when Jacob wakes up."

"You really shouldn't move," Esme advised, her icy fingers brushing a strand of hair away from my eye.

"But—" I started to protest.

"If she really wants to be there, I can carry her." Esme looked wary, but Carlisle nodded.

"If you promise to be extra careful with her." Edward gave him a disbelieving look.

"When am I not extra careful with her?"

"True enough." Carlisle shrugged. Edward picked me up with exaggerated slowness until I was cradled against his stone chest. He glided towards the door with a gracefulness that barely jostled me. We walked that way up the other flight of stairs and down the third story hall to Jacob's room. I realized after a moment that Carlisle and Esme followed us.

As Edward opened the door, I first saw Jacob lying on the bed, the quilt only over the bottom half of him, so his dark chest was exposed. Then I saw Emmett, sitting in a chair across the room, his arms folded across his broad chest. He looked as we entered, but didn't say anything.

"Anything?" Carlisle asked. Edward pulled the chair out from the desk and set me into it. Emmett shook his head slightly.

"Not much. Just a little tossing, but I guess that means he'll wake up fairly soon." He jerked his head at me, but looked at Carlisle as he spoke. "How's she doing?"

"Fractured rib and some bruising but nothing life threatening."

"Jake's gonna beat himself up for this when he comes to," I sighed, groaning at the thought of him apologizing profusely and beating himself up day in and day out. Then something occurred to me as I scanned the faces in the room.

"Where are the others? Rosalie, Jasper, Alice, and Tanya's family."

"Rosalie and Alice and Jasper are trying to calm down Tanya and Kate," Edward explained to me, "Eleazar wants us to leave right away, but Tanya isn't sure. She's furious with Jacob, but trusts _you_, Carlisle, so she might give us another chance." I looked back at Jacob.

I gasped when his eyelids fluttered.

I tried to get up—to go to him, but Edward's arms were around me, restraining.

"Don't get up, Bella. You'll hurt yourself."

"But…Jake…" His arm swung up in the air, but hitting nothing, arced over his body and slammed into the other side of the bed. His eyebrows were knitted together in an expression of pain and anger.

A low growl emanated from somewhere deep in his chest.

"What will happen when he wakes up?" I asked Edward anxiously, not looking away from Jacob.

"I don't know," Edward answered.

Suddenly Jacob's eyes flew open. He leaped off the bed, his eyes wild with rage and panic.

"**She's one of them**!" He shouted, his voice so loud in the confines of his room that it made me cringe, "**She's one of**_**them**__!_"

"Jake, stop it!" I called, straining against the iron bars that were Edward's arms. "Jake calm down, you're safe now."

His eye settled on me for a minute, and he still. For a second that seemed to stretch for years he stood still—almost as still as Edward, but not quite—and just looked at me. Then, his eyes dimmed of the wild fire that had possessed them.

"Bella?" He said my name slowly, uncertainly…as if he didn't trust his own lips to form it right.

"Its okay, Jake." I whispered, my voice barely audible. He sunk onto the bed, his face in his hands.

"Bella, I'm so sorry. I'm so sorry. She was there, and I smelled her. And then her eyes…they were red, and all I could think was: No, not here. Not now. I didn't think. I just attacked."

"It's okay. Kate's not hurt."

"But you are!" He jumped up, striding up to me, and putting his hand over my rib gently. "I did this to you. Oh, God, Bells, I'm so sorry. I'll never forgive myself."

"Jake, it's not a big deal, okay?" I assured him. "It'll heal."

"So?" He persisted, his voice frustrated. He wouldn't meet my eyes. "I hurt you? How can I live with myself knowing I hurt you?"

"What the _hell_ is going on up here?" Kate exclaimed as she burst through the door, followed by Eleazar, Rosalie, Jasper, Alice, Erin, Tessa, and finally Tanya.

"I see you're awake," Erin said calmly, her arms folded across her chest. Jacob didn't respond.

"You've got some nerve, you know that?" Tessa's voice had an edge I'd never had. She was glaring at Jacob, her hands on her hips. Jacob was still staring at the floor boards.

Tanya spoke next, her voice and eyes intense.

"Now, Carlisle," she said. Jacob looked at her out of the corner of his eyes. "You'd better explain what's going on here."

Carlisle nodded.


	17. Chapter 16: Loyalties

Shooting Star

**CHAPTER 16: **_**Loyalties**_

Carlisle took a deep breath, staring around at the faces. Edward nodded at him.

"You should tell them the truth, Carlisle."

"She's going to be mad either way," Alice's high voice said in Edward's ear, speaking for the first time.

"To be honest, Tanya," Carlisle started, "when I told you we needed to let things blow over. Well, that was a lie. We're running."

"From who?" Her eyes did not waiver in their intense stare.

"The Volturi." Tanya's expression flickered from emotion almost to fast for me to see. It went from intensity, to disbelief, to fear, to horror, to anger.

"You're telling the truth." It wasn't a question—it was a statement. She said it more to herself than Carlisle, though he nodded.

"It's a long story. When Edward left Bella for her own protection last fall, there were a few misunderstandings, that led Edward to believe Bella was dead. He went to Italy and asked to be destroyed—he refused to live with out her." Tanya's eyes flickered to me and Edward, and then back to Carlisle.

"And?"

"Bella and Alice went to Italy to set the record straight, but had to face the Volturi. Edward saw that Aro desired to have him and Alice as guards, but he also took an interest in Bella, since vampire powers that affect the mind don't seem to have any influence on her. They had to promise she would become immortal like the rest of us, or she would have not been allowed out alive." Out of the corner of my eye, I saw Jacob lift his head, his face twisted into an expression of hurt, and betrayal.

"I'm sorry," I mouthed to him. I hadn't told him that day on the beach, because I never thought he would need to know the full story of my brief trip to Italy.

"After Bella and Edward's wedding, we had a visit from them, and they attacked without us knowing their motive. After extensive discussion, we came to the conclusion that they must think we were planning to overthrow them. Later, Jacob was attacked by the Volturi and came to us for help. That's why he attacked Kate. He saw her red eyes while she hunted and mistook her for one of them.

"When he came to us, he led a trail straight to our home. We had no choice but to run—we could not fight them. So we came to you for help." There was a long silence. Tanya's expression had settled on livid. When she did speak, she did so through her teeth.

"How _dare_ you bring something like this upon our family?!" Her voice shot up.

"Tanya, we—"

"We trusted you. Let you into our _home_! And now the Volturi could be on their way here as we speak. I—we would _never_ endanger your family like that. Or if we did we would tell you, and give you the _choice_ whether or not you would do that for us. We would never lie to you, Carlisle."

"Tanya, I deeply apologize. There was a very slight chance you were in danger." Tanya gestured at Kate.

"What about her, Carlisle? She almost got ripped to shreds by that _dog_ you insisted on bringing along!" She jabbed a finger at Jacob. A low growl started in his throat, but I put a hand on his shoulder.

"Not now, Jake," I hissed in his ear.

"That was a mistake, and Kate is no worse of the ware."

"Yes, but you saw how close it came to not turning out that way! And look what he did to your precious mortal!" She jerked her head at me. "He hurt her! And she is the reason for all of this! If Edward had never met her, the whole thing in Italy never would have happened. The Volturi wouldn't have been chasing after you, and we wouldn't be caught in the line of fire!"

The room blurred before my eyes.

Tanya had confirmed my black hole theory.

It was my fault—all my fault. Everything was my fault.

"You're just jealous, Tanya." Edward's voice was barely audible. Smooth—icy.

"What?" She hissed.

"I can read your mind, Tanya. You're jealous of Bella. Because I picked her over you." He spoke slowly, annunciating every word.

"That's not true," she said through clenched teeth. Edward shook his head.

"Your thoughts don't lie Tanya. If you weren't jealous, why would you have tried to kiss me?" A gasp came from a few places around the room.

"Obviously, you're with her," Tanya muttered. "Even though it's a mystery why. Regardless, it has nothing to do with you putting our family at risk."

"Of course it does," Alice said, speaking up for the first time. "It proves that you've done something behind everyone else's backs. You have no right to talk."

"No, Alice," Carlisle contradicted. "What we did was wrong. Two wrongs do not make a right. We should have told them—let them know fully what they were getting into before involving them in something of this magnitude. We apologize, Tanya." Her glare did not relent.

"Apologies don't make up for damage rendered. Even if you leave, your scents will lead the Volturi here, if indeed they are trying to get a hold of you. Aro knows how long we've been friends, Carlisle. Do you think he will believe us if we tell him we did not help you knowingly?"

"If you _show_ him." Carlisle's calm atmosphere did not leave him.

"That's not the point!" Tanya shouted. "You've involved us in your life and death struggle. If one of _us_ gets hurt, it will be on your heads."

My head.

My fault.

"Indeed, it will be."

"So you're willing to risk it all? Your lives as well as ours? I see. So this is where your loyalties lie— in a mangy wolf and a worthless human?"

"Tanya!" Tessa exclaimed, Erin's arms on her shoulders. "Don't talk about them like that! They may have lied to us and put us in danger, but they're still our friends!"

"Quiet!" Tanya ordered, whirling around, the full force of her eyes unleashed on Tessa. The little vampire cringed back into Erin's arms.

"I'm with you, Tanya," Eleazar's voice was dark and low. He turned to Carlisle, but as he spoke, his eyes touched on every face in the Cullen family, including me. "Why would you deceive us like that? If you had explained to us, we would have helped you. We've been friends for years, Cullens; you should have had more faith in us. But you've lied, and put us in danger without us knowing. I don't know how we can forgive you for that."

Kate nodded, twining her fingers though Eleazar's. Tessa glanced up at Erin. Erin stared back at Tessa for a minute before looking back at the rest of us.

"I agree that what you did is wrong, but our friendship should mean more than that. Second chances are what our way of life is all about."

"But—" Tanya started to object.

"Last time they were in need, we didn't help them, Tanya," Tessa pointed out in a small voice. "They had valid reason to believe we wouldn't help them again."  
"That was Irina's fault," Tanya hissed, her eyes seething.

"Still, you can't blame them."

"I had a bad feeling when you said they were visiting, Tanya," Eleazar spoke softly, almost to himself. "I knew there was something coming."

"We _are_ very deeply sorry for the trouble we've caused you," Carlisle apologized again. None of the Cullens spoke.

"Tessa and I accept your apologies," Erin said softly, not looking at Tanya as she spoke.

"We do not," Tanya said scathingly, her eyes still filled with angry fire. I cringed back as she focused her gaze on me.

"All right then," Tessa said. She turned to Kate, Eleazar, and Tanya. "We appreciate everything you've done for us since we've met you, and introducing us to this new life. But we have decided," she quickly looked at Erin and she nodded, "that we are going to stay with the Cullens. If that's all right with them, of course."

"What?" Kate gasped. She was ignored.

"Certainly," Carlisle said without hesitation.

"It's settled then," Tanya said, her voice lashing out like the crack of a whip. Her eyes bored relentlessly into Carlisle's. "You'll leave as soon as possible. Please do not disturb us again."

None of us spoke as we silently packed our belongings and left.

None of us said goodbye.


	18. Chapter 17: Shadows

Shooting Star

**CHAPTER 17: **_**Shadows**_

"I'm so sorry," I moaned again, my head in my hands. We were in the Mercedes, driving always too fast southerly on the Alaskan highway.

"Bella, calm down," Edward soothed from the black leather seat beside me. Tessa sat in the seat in front of me, and turned around so she could look at me.

"We _chose_ to leave, Bella," she assured me. "Don't get all bent out of shape about it." She smiled at me.

"I can't believe she kissed you, Edward. That's low," Erin spoke from the seat beside Tessa who nodded in agreement. Edward didn't respond, only looked out the window.

"Where are we going now, Carlisle?" Emmett asked from the seat behinds us, leaning between the headrests to speak. I looked in the rear view mirror and saw Carlisle's golden eyes tighten.

"Ideas, anyone?"

"Perhaps we could go stay with Peter and Charlotte?" Jasper suggested. Carlisle shook his head.

"I don't want to involve anyone else."

"So are we going to find some place to hide then?" Esme asked quietly.

"Are we still picking flight?" Rosalie inquired, an edge in her voice.

"Until we're forced into the fight response," Edward's voice was almost inaudible. He was still not looking away from the window.

"They why are we running?" Emmett demanded. "Why prolong the inevitable."

"To prepare," Carlisle replied coolly, not taking his eyes off the road.

"What more can we do?" Alice stuck her face between the headrests as well. Her angelic face was crumpled into an expression of frustration and hopelessness. "With Anthony in the guard, we have no idea what their next move will be. We have no clue what to prepare for!"

"Do you think they'll send the entire guard?" Edward's voice was still quiet—his face unreadable. Even as the next voice chimed in, I didn't look away from his face. He had seemed different lately…but what was going on.

If only I could see what was inside his head for once…

"If they really do think we're going to try and overthrow them," Carlisle replied. The entire guard?

"_Five that make up the family. That doesn't include their guard…there were nine embers of the guard that were permanent, the last time we heard._" Alice had said, "_Others are more…transitory. It changes. And many of them are gifted as well—with formidable gifts, gifts that make what I can do look like a parlor trick._" I shuddered at the thought.

"Tanya never told us much about the Volturi," Erin's voice interrupted my waking nightmares. "Or their guard for that matter." In the rear-view mirror I saw Carlisle glance at Esme.

"Well, I suppose you are both Cullens now." There was a slight pause before he began. "I was traveling in Italy when I first met them. Aro, Marcus, and Caius. They are now the head of the government that rules our kind. I tried to change their way of living and vise versa. Eventually, I left them in hopes of finding other who desired to live the same as me. But that story you have already heard." He gestured at the rest of the Cullens sitting in the car. "Decades after I left them, _those_ two joined them. Jane and Heidi.

"I don't know the story of where those two came from—I haven't had a chance to speak with Aro about it. We only saw each other once more after I left. But that's beside the point. Shortly after Jane and Heidi joined them, they became what is today known as the Volturi. They gathered a guard of impossibly strong fighters."

"Can you tell us about the fighters," Tessa requested. "We want to know what we're up against." I held my breath, almost scared to find out the dark mysteries of the Volturi guard. Edward's arm tensed instinctively around me. He no longer stared out the window, but his gaze was focused intensely on Carlisle.

"The one called Jane is in charge. She creates the illusion of intense pain. Then there is Alec. He possesses a similar power to hers, but of a smaller magnitude. Gabriel is one of their most treasured fighters. He has the ability to create fire." My eyes widened.

"Fire?" I gasped.

"He can produce it and control it," Edward explained in an emotionless tone.

So much power.

No wonder the entire immortal population were afraid of this guard.

"Who else is there?"

"There was one named Michael."

"_Was_?" Alice was the one who answered.

"He disagreed with Jane." She said no more on the subject, although the silence was a manifestation of the horrible images I could guess were flickering through everyone's mind—myself included. "Aaron also was a guard. Same thing happened to him."

"But Alice," I said, "You told me there were nine permanent guards."

"Oh, they were replaced," she told me. I swiveled my head to look at her. In contrast to her surprisingly up-beat tone, her face was hard, eyebrows pulled down, hands clenching the seat's shoulder rests, eyes staring straight ahead out the windshield.

"Matthew and Anthony," I realized.

"Precisely," Edward said through his teeth. There was a moment of silence before my personal angel spoke again. "You'd better tell them about the rest." Carlisle nodded.

"I suppose I should." He glanced at the two Alaskan vampires through the mirror. "Have you both heard of the Russian princess Anastasia?"

"Yes," Erin complied. Tessa nodded. Carlisle paused and I gasped.

"_Princess_ Anastasia is a _vampire_?!" My voice shot up an octave.

"And a guard of the Volturi." Jasper's voice had a subtle tone of an emotion I couldn't identify.

"She has the ability to become invisible at will."

"But-but…she lived so _long_ ago. There's a _Disney_ movie about her!" I was vaguely aware that my jaw was hanging open. I felt a cold finger under my chin push it up. Edward chuckled grimly at my reaction.

"One of the few famous persons who have been turned." Alice informed, "Actually, Vlad the Impaler was a real person…well, that is, until he was turned."

"Dracula?"

"He was a real vampire. He had the ability to shape shift into a bat…that's where that particular myth came from," she explained.

I didn't know if my mind could take much more of this.

"Back on topic," Carlisle called from the front seat and continued. "Eli is one of their more recent additions. He has power over animals and can make them do his bidding. There is also Elizabeth. Her power is not so miraculous as it is practical. She has the power to tell whether or not someone is lying. And she is always, _always _right. I've seen it in action.

"Stephen—one who has been with them almost as long as Alec—has incredible speed. Amazingly fast, even for our kind." It was hard to wrap my mind around that concept. I could barely see when my new family moved at their normal pace. What would incredibly fast mean to _them_?

"That makes eight. With Felix and Demitri, that would have made the total number permanent guard ten."

"Felix and Demitri haven't been replaced yet," Emmett assumed in a low voice from the seat behind us.

"It seems not."

"So let me get this straight," I mused, "We've got two torture devices, a blow torch, Mr. Soundproof, Invisi-girl, a puppeteer, Dr. Doolittle, Lightning in the flesh, and a lie detector?" Edward shook his head in amazement.

"You just came up with that?"

"It took a minute," I admitted and he laughed.

"Bella, Jacob, are you two getting hungry?" Esme, always the mother, called to us.

"I'm getting a little hungry," I admitted. I tried to remember all the way back to the Pop-Tart I'd had in Tanya's kitchen while listening to Tessa's story this morning.

Had that been only this morning?

"We'll take the next exit then," Carlisle announced. "Besides, we need to pick up a few supplies. We don't know when it will no longer be safe to use the car."

True to his word, Carlisle turned the car off the highway and we rolled into a small gas station off the main part of the truck-stop town.

"I'll fill up the car. Edward, Alice, and Jasper, you go with Bella and Jacob to buy food," Carlisle ordered. "I'd appreciate it if the rest of you would stay in the car. We want to attract as little attention as possible."

We climbed out of the car and out onto the pavement. Well, the three Cullens almost flowed out in their gracefulness. Jacob was the only one doing the climbing. I sort of fell out.

We strode into the gas station.

"Alice and Jasper: spread out. Keep watch, all right?" The two departed with nothing more than a nod.

"Since when do I need someone to watch me?" Jacob complained, an indignant look played across his face as he crossed his arms over his chest. "Why can't I go keep watch too? Think I can't do as good a job as your bloodsucker siblings?"

"First of all, you need someone to watch you since last time I checked, you were still mortal." The chill from the soda refrigerators made me shiver. I looked around, anxious to see if anyone was listening in on our conversation. But there was no one—the station was mostly deserted except for the clerk, who was an old woman who looked like she couldn't have heard all the way to where we were standing if she wanted to. "And second because you still need to eat. So go pick out a sandwich or something so we can go."

I sighed, turning my back on both of them to go to the sandwich refrigerators myself.

Quarters of pre-made submarine sandwiches tightly bundled in saran wrap were visible through the glass. I spotted a tag that read: "Turkey and Swiss", opened the door and pulled one out. As I opened the door of the refrigerator, the frigid air blew out, mixing with the largely warmer air of the gas station and forming mist.

I was surprised at how thick the mist was.

I shut the door, and felt cold hand on my shoulder.

"I'm fine, Edward; I don't need to be within three feet of you at all times." I told him without turning around, although I was smiling to myself.

"Hello, again, Bella," a high female voice that certainly did not belong to my husband said. Every muscle in my body locked into place.

I was frozen.

The hand on my shoulder stayed where it was, although another plucked a lock of my hair from behind my ear and lifted it, letting the strands fall individually back onto my shoulder.

"It's so nice to see you again. Now, if I were you, I would do exactly as I say. That is, if you ever wish to see your beloved Edward again."


	19. Chapter 18: Evasion

Shooting Star

**CHAPTER 18: **_**Evasion **_

I wanted so badly to run.

I wanted so badly to scream.

But I realized either path would only lead to someone dead. And most likely, as always, that someone would be me. But I didn't care about myself at the moment. I was frightened by what Jane had said.

"_That is, if you ever wish to see your beloved Edward again._"

Had Jane brought the entire guard alone with her? All of those incredibly talented, lethal warriors driven by the sole purpose of exterminating everything I held dear: my love, my life, my family, my future.

Did they already have Jasper and Alice? What about Jacob? And Edward…

I tried to tilt my head, to see if he was still standing by the drink refrigerator with Jacob.  
There were two people standing next to Edward and Jacob, both of them pale, and extraordinarily beautiful. One was a tall male, with dirty blonde hair, and the other was a girl, about twenty looking with tight auburn curls. They all wore plain traveling clothes. That surprised me, although I could think why they wouldn't wear their normal black cloaks into a store.

Edward was whispering to Jacob, his lips moving so fast it looked as if they were trembling. Explaining I realized.

"Now, I suggest you come with us willingly. You're a cooperative girl, right, Bella? I wouldn't want to have to do this the hard way. No one wishes to have to see the consequences of that course."

I glanced over at Edward. He was still rooted to the same place, Jacob the same, his eyes glued to the small vampire at my side. Edward's eyes were glaring, livid, at Jane. They then flicked to mine, and changed into an expression of panic, horror.

"Bella—" Edward started, but the girl's hand was on his shoulder.

"Now, now," she said, her voice crooning and soft, "you wouldn't want anything to happen to your precious Bella, now would you, Edward? If you were to do something drastic, well…accidents do happen."

I suddenly felt cold hand on the front of my throat, and another closing over my mouth. I inhaled sharply with shock. Edward's eyes grew so wide I thought they would pop out of their sockets. Horror washed over his face.

"I'll do whatever you want," he said in a rushed voice, "just _please_ don't hurt her!" I'd never heard Edward beg like that before.

"Sounds like a fair deal," Jane said passively. She repositioned her hand on my shoulder. "Now let's discuss this outside, shall we?" her voice was calm; pleasant. "And take the back way out, if you don't mind."

I started walking, my legs moving on their own.

Once on the outside of the building, the back wall faced a forest of huge pine trees that loomed over me. I wheeled around when Jane loosened her hold on my shoulder. I could see Edward and Jacob being led out by the two vampires I had seen beside them earlier.

A moment later, they were followed by Alice and Jasper, flanked by three vampires, Alec—who I recognized from our visit to Italy—a girl who looked to be my age, and a tall man with jet black hair, and a fierce expression.

"So you were able to round them up, Gabriel," Jane smiled her approval. The dark haired man nodded. I looked back at Edward, and noticed the girl with ginger hair had disappeared. "Anastasia?" Jane crooned.

_Princess Anastasia… is a vampire! Is that why people kept saying they saw her all those years she was missing?_

The girl suddenly appeared beside her—materializing out of thin air.

"_She has the ability to become invisible at will."_

"The others didn't notice a thing. They're still waiting for these five to come back." Anastasia reported.

Jane sighed and looked at Jacob.

"I recognize your scent." Recognition lit her eyes. "You again? You're that wolf!" She looked him over, seizing him up, and then turned away. "I have no need of you. Alec?" She asked, turning to him, "Would you kindly deal with this?" She waved her and at Jacob.

"No! Jake!" I cried. Jacob stopped me.

"I'll be fine, Bells." He winked, and suddenly was sprinting towards the forest, his shape shaking apart—vibrating; disintegrating— until a huge wolf ran in his place. Alec blurred after him into the forest.

And then Alice, Jasper, and Edward were beside me, facing Jane, our backs to the dark forest.

"Don't move until I tell you too," Edward breathed in my ear. I nodded.

"Can you read their thoughts, Edward?" Alice asked. Edward only shook his head.  
"I'm a no-go too," Jasper whispered.

I scanned the dark eyes in front of me. Was one of them the one named Anthony? The one who had had his fangs to my neck on my wedding day? There was a boy with cropped ginger hair who was smiling smugly. That must be him, I assumed.

Edward leaned towards Jasper, and whispered something into his ear that sounded like:

"We need to get out of here—this is serious."

"Good to see you, again, Edward," Jane greeted, a smile in her voice.

"Wish I could say likewise," Edward retorted through clenched teeth. I recognized his posture and it scared me. It was the stance of a defender, preparing to fight. I had seen this when Victoria had approached our camp.

He was going to fight them!  
"Edward," I leaned to whisper in his ear as softly as possible. "Don't do anything rash. Please. For me?" His eyes flickered like a candle wick. In the dim light behind the store, I couldn't interpret the meaning behind it.

He could not win against the Volturi guard. Even if the rest of them—Carlisle, Esme, Rosalie, Emmett, Tessa, and Erin—were here, we would still lose.

Why were they willing to risk their lives?

Why was Edward willing to risk his life?

And if they did risk their lives…who would be lost?

Far away in the woods, a wolf howled.

"Jake!" I gasped. Edward grabbed my arm before I realized I'd started to move.

"He's fine, Bella," he hissed.

"Why did Aro send the entire guard out?" Alice asked in a hard tone.

"He didn't," Jane replied with a smile. Edward looked over at Alice, and she nodded, her eyes wide.

"Edward…"

"Don't…move, Bella," he said quietly. To my surprise, Jane began to laugh.

"Edward, Edward, dear." She gave him a condescending look. "Do you honestly think we plan to attack anything that moves like wild animals?"

"You attacked Jacob."

"He attacked first," she countered, her expression never wavering. "And now Alec is serving him his well deserved justice. That's what we're all about, isn't it?"

"Then what justice are you serving now? What crime did we ever commit?"

"You know what you did, Edward. You exposed us to a human." An edge of bitterness entered her voice.

"That didn't stop Aro from letting us go last spring," Edward protested.

"Only because you promised to make her immortal. Alice showed us the date was set when you yourself were going to turn her, and yet, here she stands," she waved a hand at me, "her heart still beating—blood still rushing through her veins. You lied to us, Edward."

"I would have turned her, if only you hadn't showed up on our wedding day!" Jane seemed taken a back. She paused a minute to consider.

"That is irrelevant. Aro said Alice saw her turned almost a month before that."

"What's your point?" Alice's voice had a defiant edge. Her crouch mirrored Edwards: defensive.

"I guess I'm just a little upset," she admitted, her eerie calm and serenity returning. She smiled. "Old habits and all that…"

"We need to get out of here," Alice whispered for Jaspers benefit, for I was certain Edward could read the thought in her mind.

I wondered why Anthony's strange power only affected the Volturi. Alice suddenly stared at Edward wide eyed.

"Are you crazy?" Alice hissed.

"Only if it won't work," he replied. Alice sighed, closing her eyes for a brief second.

"It will work, but I can't see what will happen after that—I supposed we'll meet up with Jacob."

"Are you willing?" Edward asked.

"Of course." She nodded, her eyes flicking back to Jane. They were whispering so low I could barely tell what they were saying—and I was a foot away.

But the look of intense concentration on Jane's face, I could guess she couldn't hear.

"What are you all whispering about?" Jane asked, her voice sweet and innocent. As she turned to look at Alice, her robe swished open. On the inside, I saw a lock of hair pinned to the dark fabric. The strands were the same orange color as the boy Anthony's hair.

That must be how they were doing it! If they had a piece of him with them, the power transferred onto that piece.

How strange…

"Edward, they all have a piece of Anthony's hair. That's how they're getting away with all being blocked." Edward's eyebrow's shot up in surprise, but he said nothing as Jane had just turned back to him.

"Now, Edward, what we wanted to discuss—" She was suddenly cut off by a calm voice that sent a wave of relief washing over me.  
"So this is where you all got off too." Carlisle's voice was smooth, but his eyes were uncharacteristically threatening as he strolled across the lawn from around the corner of the gas station. Behind him, shadows followed him, shadows I recognized as soon as the faint light hit them—Esme, Rosalie, Emmett, Erin, and Tessa—all of their expressions grim.

"Carlisle," Jane spoke his name in what I guessed was meant to be a greeting, but was too flat, too emotionless. Carlisle glanced around at the six menacing figures that held us captive.

With the arrival of the rest of the family, our force was nine strong.

"We will be taking our leave now," Carlisle announced in the same unshaken tone.

"Not so fast, Carlisle," she said, her manner indignant, "We have unfinished business to discuss with these four." She gestured to Edward, Alice, Jasper, and me.

"I don't think so." Carlisle's tone changed from calm and light, to hard and commanding.

"You dare defy us?" Jane questioned, her eyes burning.

"We are leaving," Carlisle repeating, weighing heavily on his words. He shot a look at Edward, and he nodded. "Go!"

Suddenly, Edward grabbed my hand and swung me up onto his back, and we were swerving through the trees, the back of the gas station disappearing from view in seconds.

I was too startled to close my eyes—my stomach already churning so violently that the motion sickness did not even registered in my jumbled brain. I realized Alice and Jasper were running just behind us, dodging the trees with incredible speed, just as Edward was.

"What did Carlisle say?" I asked hurriedly, my voice weak because I wasn't quite able to draw in a lung full of air.

"He said he would hold them off as long as they could." I gasped. In my mind I was seeing horrible warfare between my immortal family, and my immortal enemies. "Don't worry, Bella," Edward said in response to my sharp intake of breath. "He assured me that as soon as any one was in danger they would retreat and join up with us later. I wasn't about to let anyone get killed on my account."

Despite his words, the revelation of safety was a strange high. I suddenly felt buoyant. Partly because of the promise Carlisle had made to make sure no one got killed on our account, and partly because, in spite of the odds, we'd gotten away.

"We got away!" I whispered excitedly. "We lost them!"

"For now," Edward added in a grim tone.

"For now," I agreed.


	20. Chapter 19: Persuasion

Shooting Star

**CHAPTER 19: **_**Persuasion**_

We ran for what seemed like forever.

And when you ran as fast as Edward did, that basically means we covered _a lot_ of ground.

Finally we stopped in a clearing in the trees, and Edward helped me as I slid gracelessly to the forest floor. It was night now, and the moonlight filtered down through the trees in glittering dots.

"Where are we?" I asked, looking around. The dark forest scene reminded me too much of the night Edward had left. The night I'd ran blindly through the dark searching for the only thing left in my world. I shuddered, turning back to Edward.

"Almost to the Washington border," he answered softly. Alice and Jasper didn't speak.

But I was surprised.

Of all the Cullens, Alice and Jasper were the least flamboyant about their relationship. So to see them, gripping each other tightly, their arms around each other surprised me.

I think my jaw dropped a bit when Alice leaned up on her tip toes to press her lips to Jasper's.

"Don't ever scare me like that again," I think I heard Alice whisper.

Edward was staring away into the trees.

"What's going on?"

"This is more serious than I thought," he murmured, and I couldn't tell if he was talking to himself or me. "They weren't able to hold them off for very long before one almost got Tessa." My eyes widened. "She's fine, Bella," he assured. I sighed in relief.

Relief—no one was hurt.

Horror—they were coming for us.

"They're on their way," I stated. Edward only stared off into the trees. "How close?" I asked.

"They're almost here."

I hadn't realized I'd stopped breathing until Alice spoke.

"Breathe, Bella." I took a complying lungful of air.

Everything was suddenly very clear.

Speaking from experience, I could guess it was from the adrenaline rush. The cold night had left a remnant of mist drifting across the ground and swirling through the gaps in the trees. Edward's eyes locked on a spot in the mist.

Had my heart beaten twice?

It hammered erratically in my chest.

And out of the churning mist, emerged ten figures—all cloaked in black.

"Jane…" the way Edward hissed the name, it sounded like a curse. Jane smirked.

"Did you really think your little coven could defeat us without some collateral damage?" Edward did not respond. I could feel the tension rolling off of him in waves from where he stood beside me. Alice on his one side, and Jasper on my other. All of them were crouched; tensed—prepared to fight.

Jane sighed heavily.

"We might as well get on with it then." Turning to Edward, she began to smile again. "Ah, Edward…" she flicked a hand towards Anastasia who stood next to me. Suddenly, she drew my hair back, away from my neck, and I felt a prick against it. A nail? I couldn't move.

I was frozen with fear.

Edward growled low in his chest, his eyes narrowing into predatory slits.

Cold iron shackles formed around my wrists, squeezing so hard it made me yell out in pain.

"Edward!" I cried.

"What are you doing this for?!" He shouted at Jane. She continued to smile. "What do you want from us?"

"We want a bargain, Edward. This goes for you too, Alice." Suddenly, Jane was looking intensely at Jasper. The corner of her mouth quirked up into a smile. "Elizabeth?" She drawled.

Suddenly, the girl my age had Jaspers arms pinned behind his back. He struggled, but it did no good—Elizabeth held him firmly. The assumption that she must be a newborn drifted vaguely through the back of my consciousness.

"What is the bargain?" Alice asked through clenched teeth. Her eyes flickered back and forth between Jane and Jasper.

"I want you to join us," she said simply.

Silence stretched.

"_Perhaps he wanted to bargain._" Jasper had predicted. "_He gets your service, you get her alive._" Funny it was Jasper, not Alice who had made the most correct prediction.

The hands around my wrists constricted.

It hurt so badly.

"Edward…" I whimpered. "Don't—"

"Silence, mortal," Anastasia hissed in my ear.

More pressure. More pain.

I felt one of the bones starting to bend under the pressure. I couldn't help it.

I screamed.

"Stop it!" Edward commanded, rushing towards me. But the man with black hair and the tall blonde one caught him by the arms, restraining him. "Stop it, stop it! She's got nothing to do with this!" Jane over to stand in front of Edward and reached out a hand. With her middle finger, she traced a line from his temple to the corner of his jaw.

Edward cringed away from the touch as if it had burned him.

"Edward, she has been involved since the moment she met you." Her eyes stared back into his, a smile in her voice. "You were the one to bring her into our way of life. You were the one to share our secrets. If she is in any pain now, it is because of you."

A flash of pain flickered across his face.

"Don't listen to her, Edward," Alice hissed, "she's playing mind games."

"But she's right." Edward's voice was so low I barely caught it. He hung his head.

"No!" I croaked. I bit my lip harder to keep from crying out at the answering contraction of Anastasia's hands.

"Join us, Edward, and we won't hurt Bella. We won't even force you to change her." Her voice was seductive; alluring. "Lend us your power, Edward."

"You're not giving me much of a choice," he spat through clenched teeth. Jane shrugged. "This doesn't seem much like Aro…or any of the rest of them for that matter. Blackmail isn't their style."

"This isn't blackmail," Jane contradicted cheerfully, side-stepping the minefield. "It's…" she considered for a moment, "persuasion."

Suddenly, Jasper screamed, writhing against Elizabeth's arms, agony splashed across his inhumanly beautiful features.

"Jasper!" Alice cried, rushing towards him. A shape hurried out of the shadows— restraining arms catching her. "No! Jasper! Let him go! Don't hurt him!" She was screaming.

I'd never seen Alice like this.

Her legs flew up off the ground, using the new guard's arms to hold her up as she attempted to kick him.

"Calm yourself, Alice Cullen," Jane ordered as Jasper's screams ceased. "Thank you for your impeccable timing, Eli," Jane said to the teenager who was restraining Alice. He only nodded back.

"Jasper?" Alice asked in a whisper, "Jasper, are you all right?"

"I'm fine, Alice," he rasped. He lifted his head to meet her gaze.

"The same offer is open to you, Alice." Jane spoke again. "We will not harm Jasper if you agree to join the guard." Alice didn't speak—only pressed her lips into a thin line. Anastasia relaxed her grip on my wrists a bit.

"Don't do it, Alice, please—"

Jasper screamed again.

"Please, stop!" Alice shrieked, struggling against the arms that held her back.

"Stop it, Jane," Edward's voice was commanding, "This is not the way the Volturi do things." Jasper's cries of agony died away and she turned to face my glorious immortal love.

"We've made a few changes," Jane sneered.

"Like what? Using Matthew to take control of the others. So you could be in charge?" Edward threw out Jacob's theory. Something in Jane's eyes flickered as she gave Edward a sidelong glance.

"You're a troublesome one, aren't you?" Edward didn't respond. "Well?" She asked, an impatient tone suddenly glaringly clear in her voice. She turned to Alice.

"Will you join us, Alice?" Alice didn't respond at first, her eyes flicking to Jasper and away.

"Don't Alice," Jasper warned.

"Jasper…" her voice was pleading.

"No matter what they do to me, don't join them. There's something going on." Alice chewed on her lip. Jane shrugged.

"I'll let you think." She turned to Edward. "How about you, Edward? Are you going to join us or not?"  
"Never," Edward hissed through clenched teeth. "You can do whatever you want to me, but let Bella go."

"I'm sorry, but that wasn't the bargain, now was it? I gave you two choices, Edward. You join us, or don't join us. They each had their corresponding consequences." She used a tone as if talking to a young child. "It was your choice.

The first resulted in Bella's guaranteed safety; the second resulted in her dying. We only gave you the choice, Edward. _You_ were the one that picked wrong." Edward struggled against the two pairs of arms restraining him.

"So what are we going to do, Jane?" Gabriel asked. She sighed heavily.

"Well, obviously, Edward has no need of her, so I suppose we should get rid of her." My eyes widened, was she talking about me? "Dispose of her, will you, Anastasia."

"No! Jane, wait!" She turned back to Edward, her breathtaking eyes wide and innocent.

"Yes?"

"Do you promise—?"

"No, Edward!" Alice hissed. Edward ignored her.

"Do you promise not to hurt Bella?"

"Of course.

"You promise that you will _never_ harm her." Edward was staring at Jane with an amazing intensity. It felt as if there was something I was supposed to understand—but my mind wasn't working. It was barely moving; barely taking in everything.

"Never. None of us will ever harm Bella in any way, shape, or form," she spread her hand at the surrounding members of the guard.

"Then—"

"No, Edward!" I screamed, but Anastasia's hand clamped over my mouth. He gazed at me, his eyes pained and apologetic.

"I'm sorry, Bella. But I must. I cannot…" he hesitated, "I _will_ not lose you again."

"Edward, please…" I begged. He turned to Jane. She smiled.

"So, what do you say, Edward? Will you join us?" Edward looked back at me. I stared at him, my eyes wide and full of panic. His golden eyes turned cold and numb. He nodded.

"You already know my answer."

Something sharp slammed into the back of my head…

"Edward!"

And everything went black.


	21. Chapter 20: Events

Shooting Star

**CHAPTER 20: **_**Events**_

When I woke, I couldn't see.

I mean, I knew I was awake, but I couldn't see anything. It was so dark.

"Edward? Edward!" I called.

"He's not here, Bella," a low voice informed me.

"Jasper?" A shadow moved in the darkness.

"Yes, it's me." The panic slowly receded, replacing itself with a serene calmness that I couldn't trust. Jasper's unusual talent may not work on the Volturi guard, but it still defiantly worked on me.

"What's going on, Jasper? Where are we?" His next words sent a thrill of fear shooting through me, despite Jasper's firm, calm hold on my aura.

"Volterra."

I paused for a minute.

"Where's Alice?" I questioned.

"With Edward I would assume." On the surface, Jasper's voice was calm, but I could hear some deep emotion burning just beyond the surface. Edward's name sent a wave of pain crashing over me.

"What happened?" I asked weakly.

"After you went unconscious, you mean?"

"Yah," I replied in a flat tone.

"Basically, they tied you up, and restrained me. Then they shipped us onto a private jet like luggage and after an impossibly long plane ride, we got here." My eyes were beginning to adjust to the darkness, and I could now see his outline as he shrugged. "They hauled us into an underground tunnel, and now we're in this cell." I took a moment to digest this information.

"You're incredibly strong," I joked, "couldn't you just break through the bars?" His laugh sounded empty as it echoed eerily off the walls I couldn't see.

"I don't think it would quite work that way, Bella. Have you ever heard the expression: Out of the frying pan, into the fire?" I nodded in agreement.

"Edward stayed by your side the entire plane ride, you know," Jasper admitted after a minute of hesitation. I didn't respond directly to that.

"How dare he join them," I hissed through clenched teeth.

"He thought it was the only way to get us all out safely—especially you."

"That idiot! At least Alice didn't join." Jasper didn't speak, and in the darkness, I couldn't see if he was looking at me, or away. "Alice agreed?!" I almost shrieked.

"Shh," Jasper cautioned.

"There had to have been some other way!" I reiterated in an urgent whisper.

"I agree, although I admit I didn't contribute much. Allowing myself to be used like that!" Now we were both talking, but not to each other.

"Jasper, I was used too, all right? Not your fault."

"But now Alice—"

"You would have acted the exact same way if the Alice had been in your place," I pointed out. I thought I saw the shadow nod. I felt my expression soften. "You really love her, don't you?"

"More than life itself," he confirmed, "…or whatever it is we call living."

"I refuse to believe that," I protested.

"Believe what?"

"That you lose your soul after you are turned," I explained.

"Edward believes that."

"I know. That's why he absolutely did _not_ want to change me in the beginning. He was worried about protecting my soul." I snorted.

"If you believed the way Edward does, would you be willing to risk _his_ soul?" Carlisle had made this point at my eighteenth birthday party while stitching my sliced up arm. The night that had been the catalyst to the worst five months of my life.

It's not the same, I wanted to say. His soul was so much more important than mine. His soul was worth so much more. Of course I would never risk anything concerning Edward—any part of him.

I would happily spend eternity in Hell, as long as I knew Edward was happy.

"Of course not," I muttered. "I guess you can't sympathize, though. You never had to worry about anything like this with Alice."

"No," Jasper said in an amused tone. "If we do have souls, we're both undoubtedly going to Hell, or wherever sinners' souls go—but we'll be there together. And even our souls are lost, they're _both_ lost. Does that make sense?" I nodded in the darkness.  
"I think I understand…more than you could know," I answered and sighed. "I can't stand it when I'm not with him." It was strangely easy to open up to Jasper now. I couldn't tell if it was that I was alone with him for once, or if it was the adrenaline making me spill my guts. But whatever it was, if felt good to get some of this off my chest.

"I can tell what you're feeling. It's the same when I'm away from Alice, though…I'm surprised by the intensity you're feeling. It's a stronger magnitude. And it's colored with a ting of fear—panic. And even a little bit of pain I think."

I debated for a brief second whether to tell the truth.

What the heck, I decided. I was probably going to die soon anyway.

"It brings back those four months," I explained in a low whisper. Jasper's almost inaudible gasp made me think he'd known what Edward had been feeling. Edward had said it was only bearable because he thought I would get over him.

What a silly thing to think…that I would ever—could ever get over him.

"It just hurt so much when he left." The vague scar left by the hole he'd torn in my chest that always started to ache when he left throbbed. "I thought I could shatter into pieces any second. It was months before I could even think his name and still breathe right…no wait, I never got to that point. That came after he came back. When he's gone, it just reminds me of that."

"I see."

"But that's behind me now. He's here, and by some miracle, he loves me too. That's all that matters."

There was a long silence in which neither of us spoke.

"Jasper?"

"Yes?"

"Do you think you have a soul? Or a chance at an afterlife?" Jasper considered the question as seriously as I'd meant it.

"I'm not quite sure," he admitted, his tone thoughtful, "I think it's hard to accept that someone can just exist one minute, and then the next they are just a pile of ashes, and their consciousness, their spirit or soul, or even their essence has disappeared from the universe forever. Even after all my years on this planet—living both as a mortal and immortal— I find it hard to accept that someone can just not exist with the snap of one's fingers." I nodded in agreement. "But I don't think we're going to Heaven, or paradise, or whatever it is you choose to call it."

"So you think you have a soul, but you don't deserve anything good in the afterlife?"

"Yes."

"I think after all you've done, you deserve anything there is good."

"That's absurd." For a moment, he sounded almost exactly like Edward. I unconsciously froze where I was, but then regained control.

"I mean, honesty, you've more than redeemed yourselves. Despite all the horrible things that have happened to all of you—despite what you are, you've dedicated your entire existence to protecting human lives. That's got to count for something, doesn't it?"

In the darkness, I saw a quick flash that I guessed was Jasper's swift smile.

"I'd like to think so."

"What do you think they're doing?" I asked after a long pause.

"Who?"

"Edward and Alice?" I clarified.

"Probably getting the instatement ceremony." My eyes widened, and with his inhumanly sharp eyes, he probably saw that.

"Don't worry; I doubt it's anything that will endanger them."

"Yup," I agreed sarcastically, "they just throw a black robe at them and tell them where their cubical is." Jasper chuckled flatly. "And what about the others? Carlisle, Esme, Rosalie, and Emmett? And what about Tessa and Erin?"

"I'm sure they're fine," he assured, another wave of calm sweeping over me. "Most likely trying to track us down and rescue us."

"I hope they don't," I said in a horse voice.

"They can take care of themselves," Jasper assured.

I'd been told that one before.

"Yah, okay," I replied uncertainly.

Light footsteps sounded on the floor.

"It's one of them," Jasper hissed almost inaudibly. The footfalls stopped suddenly right beside us. "Jane?"

"I'm glad to see you're still alive," she said, a clear note of mockery in her voice.

"Thank you for the lovely accommodations, Jane." Jasper's voice mirrored her own.

"You're welcome," she sneered. Her voice took on an ominous tone. "It's time." I heard the creak of a metal door. "Don't do anything rash or someone will get hurt." Judging by her voice, she was clearly enjoying the idea.

I tried to swallow, but my throat was dry.

Cold hands grabbed my upper arms and yanked me up from where I knelt on the cold stone floor and pulled me roughly in the direction of Jane's voice. Without another word, I was pulled in another direction until we were let though a door into a hallway which was flooded with light from buzzing florescent bulbs. The intense light hurt my eyes after spending so long in the dark.

I saw that Jasper was being led by the same dark haired young girl that had restrained him in the woods—Elizabeth— behind me. Anastasia, I realized, had my arms again. Jane was gliding along in front of us like a shadow as we hurried down the long, white washed hallway.

We were let though hallway after hallway until we reached a large room that resembled a lobby and had my mind screaming: deja vu! I'd been here before.

On the day when I had stopped Edward from getting himself killed.

On the day when I had gotten my life, my love (they were one in the same) back.

On the day when I'd met the dark shadows that had so often starred in my nightmares for the first time.

The human named Ginna no longer occupied the desk to one side. There now sat a shy looking girl with bright red hair and freckles dusted across her face.

And there was that same pair of huge double doors. Just as the first time, Alec was standing beside them, his face slightly annoyed.

"Oh, stop sulking," Jane complained as she reached him. "So what if the wolf got away?"

Jake had gotten away!

Some of the dark cloud that had been raining on my head cleared away. But only a small part. I knew the worst part of the storm was yet to come. The thunder and lightning hadn't even started yet.

She took Alec's hand and led us through the doors into the enormous room where I had met with the leaders of the Volturi.

It was just like last time. My mind was reeling with memories better left untouched.

But unlike last time, Edward wasn't solidly beside me. This time, as I walked through the huge doors, I spotted him standing across the long room against the wall.

He was wearing a black cloak.

My nightmares in the flesh.

His eyes flickered towards me and stayed there. From that distance it looked like he was glaring, but I couldn't why.

"You've arrived," Gabriel confirmed as we crossed the long room.

"It took longer than usual," Jane explained causally, flicking her head at me, "the human is so slow." I didn't say anything.

A deep rumble started behind us, and I supposed it was Jasper growling.

"Where's Alice?" He demanded in a steely voice.

"I'm here, Jasper," a cold, dead voice that sounded eerily reminiscent of Jane's drifted from the end of the line of shadows.

"Oh, Alice," he sighed in relief. I couldn't see Alice' eyes—they were hidden beneath the fabric of her dark hood.

"You have our service, Jane," Edward spoke for the first time, his tone as dead and hard as Alice's had been. "Now let them go."

"Not so fast, Edward Cullen," an icy voice objected. As I looked up, a figure in a black cloak drifted down from the opposite wall from the one we had entered through.

"Aro," Jasper hissed. Aro's enthusiasm—which I'd noted last time I'd been here—was not swayed by Jasper's hostility.

"Indeed." His eyes flickered to Jasper. "I don't believe we've met. You must be one of Carlisle's sons." He paused. "Ah, you're the newest… Jasper, am I correct?" Jasper half nodded. Aro's smile widened. "You're the one with the power to control the emotions of those around you."

"Which—handy for you—doesn't work with your little puppet Anthony around," Jasper growled.

"Lucky us," Jane sneered. Aro put a chalky white hand on Jane's shoulder.

"Now, now, Jane we mustn't be rude to our guests." Jane's lips were pressed into a hard line.

"Guests," Jasper spat.

"What more do you want with them, Aro?" Edward demanded his voice harsh. "We've completed our end of the bargain."

"Ooh, why so rude? I thought we were friends?" Edward shrunk back against the wall, his pale hands lifting his hood up to cover his face. Even from where I stood, I could tell his hands were shaking with anger.

"Were being the objective word."

"Regardless," Aro said, waving his hand as if to rid himself of the subject, "I'm so glad you decided to join us Edward. And of course little Alice." His eyes lit up at the mention of her name. Edward's eyes flicked from Aro to Jane and then back. The figures across the room sitting on the wooden throne-like chairs did not move. I wondered why Caius and Marcus, or even Heidi, did not rise to meet us as Aro did.

Did Aro know of Jane's blackmail and torture that had forced the hands of the two members of the Cullen family that were closest to me? Was she, as Jacob had theorized, controlling Aro and his fellow members of the Volturi family with her newest guard member Matthew? Then why was Aro acting exactly the same? Surely, if he were being controlled, there would be some sign…

So they didn't suspect the Cullens were planning to overthrow them. They wanted Edward and Alice to join. But Aro had been worried about upsetting Carlisle. There was some missing piece that wasn't fitting—something that once I had it, would put everything in perfect order so it would make sense.

Aro sighed heavily.

"I suppose it's time then." Jane's eyes brightened with excitement. A thrill of fear ran through me. "Elizabeth? Would you be a dear and kindly escort Jasper out of the room?" Across the room, Alice grew very still. "Don't worry, dear one," Aro assured her, having caught the reaction out of the corner of his milky red eyes, I assumed, "You may accompany him Alice." She seemed to relax at that.

"What about the rest of us?" Jane asked pleasantly.

"You may go find some way to amuse yourselves while events take their course." Elizabeth towed Japer out of the room, Alice hurrying to stay by his side, whispering to him in a rushed voice as they exited. Anastasia released my arms, but I stayed put—I knew better than to run. The rest of the black shadows followed, save one—the shadow that stood beside Caius, Heidi, and Marcus. One by one the rest of them filed out until only the last remained. Edward paused as he brushed by me, his expression agonized. Cold fingers brushed my cheek; my lips.

"Oh, Edward," Jane called, and he spun to look at her.

"You're staying here," Aro clarified. Edward was immediately at my side, his hand hung hesitantly between us.

"Matthew?" Jane crooned. The figure shrouded in black moved from his place beside the chairs. After an antagonizing long minute, he reached us. Jane extended an elegant pale hand to stroke his cheek.

"It's time dear."  
"Yes," he murmured in a voice that reminded me of curling smoke. From beneath the dark hood, Matthew smiled.

"Come." As he spoke, the three figures in the chairs rose and crossed the room with human speed until the five members of the Volturi family were congregated before me and Edward. It did not take my by surprise when his cold hand closed around mine. _I'm here beside you until the end_ it seemed to say.

And despite the hostile vampires in front of us…despite the inevitable demise…despite the almost zero percent chance of escape…I felt safe.

I felt happy.

I was with Edward.

That was the way it would always be. Forever. No matter what connotation the word held.

To my surprise, the black shadows exited the room.

It was just me, and Edward, and Matthew. Matthew leaned up against the wall. I was confused. What was the point of leaving us alone?

"Edward?" I asked, turning to read his expression.

His eyes were cold and distant. From the wall, Matthew smiled again from beneath his hood.

"Edward, what's going on?" He didn't respond. His golden eyes were far-away, like he wasn't seeing me. But then something flashed across his face. An expression of anger…

"Matth…ew…" Edward managed to get out through clenched teeth.

­_"Or maybe he just takes control of your body. That might be it."_ Jacob had said.

What—?

"Edward!" I reached out a hand to touch his cold skin, but I stopped—my hand hovering in the air between us. The cold distant look had consumed his face. He then spoke in a dead voice that sent fear and pain shooting through me. He voice did not sound even close to the musical murmur Edward's was.

"Goodbye, Bella," he hissed as he advanced towards me.


	22. Chapter 21: Core

Shooting Star

**CHAPTER 21: **_**Core**_

Since the day—since the moment I had first seen Edward, I didn't even have a chance. Sine the moment I set eyes on him, my fate was sealed.

Edward had tried to alter that fate (whether by force or accident) by saving my life numerous times, and also by trying to compel me to move on from him. But all his attempts had been in vain. I knew I was in love with him. I had _always_ been in love with him. That fact would never—could never change. I knew I was in love with him. And in the back of my mind, I had also always known that that fact would get me killed in one way or another.

I didn't know in what way, but I knew, someday, Edward would not be there at the exact moment and place. Someday, Edward wouldn't be there to save me, and I would die.

Vengeful vampires…I'd dealt with them.

Furious werewolves…I'd survived it.

I'd run, and they'd been fought.

But now the enemy I faced was not someone I could hate, or hurt. The monster I faced was not one that occupied my nightmares and woke me screaming in the middle of the night.

The monster trying to kill me now was the one thing I held most dear in the universe. Without him…my world would not exist.

But now, as he sauntered forward with cold, malicious eyes…I could not feel fear.

I could see it in my head—Edward crouching to spring and shooting forward like a bullet from a gun, as wild and glorious as a young god.

And yet, I felt no fear.

I knew what was coming. I knew there would be pain. I knew death would come eventually. I'd seen Edward fight too many times to think there was any chance of survival. But I could do nothing about it. Because if I was going to die because of the world I'd entered by loving Edward, I would die. If I was going to die because I loved him too much for my own good, I would die.

If a vampire was going to kill me, it would be Edward.

I couldn't move.

I couldn't breathe.

The strange, sadistic grin I'd seen on Matthew's face only a moment ago, which now played across Edward's angelic features seemed strangely out of place.

Matthew still leaned against the wall across the room as Edward reached me. His cold hand reached out to stroke my cheek, although his eyes were distant and cloudy.

"You know I love you, Bella," he whispered in that dead, icy voice. His smile—cruel and mocking—did not belong to Edward. "I will always love you." The words, in that malicious, sardonic tone seemed strangely threatening.

"Edward, please. I know it isn't you doing this." The words escaped my lips hoarsely.

"Of course it is. Forever remember? I promised you."

"What are you saying?" I didn't even know what _I_ was saying.

"I'm sparing you from them, Bella, my only love. They would have hurt you. I don't want you to go through that. They will not have you." His voice was still dead, devoid of emotion, and his face was still mocking.

"No, Edward, stop. Wake up!"

"I'm not asleep, Bella." His hand grabbed my upper arms and squeezed.

"Edward, you're hurting me. Stop, please!" My voice was high, begging, a hint of hysteria touching it on the last word. He seemed unaware that I had said anything this time.

His smile was mocking.

"My Bella," he whispered, his voice suddenly not detached, but reminded me oddly of James' voice as he'd spoken to me of how he was leaving Edward his video almost two years ago in the dance studio in Phoenix.

"Edward…" His hand was still around my right arm, and the grip he had on it was almost painful. Despite the fact that I knew he was going to hurt me, and hurt me badly, I did not feel a desire to pull away from his tight grasp, but lean in closer to him.

I knew I was going to die, and I knew ­_he_ was going to kill me.

Yet I wanted nothing more than to be in his arms.  
His hands contracted around my arms, as if to get a better grip. He smiled again—the same pleasant, yet mocking smile. And then, with his right hand wrenched my left arm around, and pulled. I heard the sickening crunch-snap echoing loudly in the high ceiling room before I felt it.

I screamed as the nerves caught up to where my ears were. The icy fire of searing pain shot along my arm. Edward's expression stayed the same, his hand still freezing and granite hard around my injured arm.

"What's wrong?" The emotionless voice asked. He squeezed the tiniest bit around where the bone had fractured, and heard a deafening scream. I realized a second too late that it was mine. "Are you hurt, Bella?" Edward asked.

Some thing impossibly hard—his foot?—collided with my chest and I went soaring across the room like a rag-doll and smacked into the adjacent wall, the pain in my broken arm flaring almost unbearably as I slid down the wall to the floor.

I lay, trying to keep breathing. The pain was real enough—not just in my arm now, but in the back of my head where it had smashed into the hard stone and along my back where it had followed shortly after. The pain was there, but it was only pain. Even as I was facing inescapable death, I still did not feel a shred of fear.

Edward strolled casually over to where I lay.

"Are you all right, Bella?"

"Edward…" I managed to breathe, "please…"

"Please what?" He asked innocently, as if there was nothing wrong with me. I could respond, because at that moment, he lifted his foot and nudged the broken bone in the upper part of my arm.

"Ahhh!" I screamed in agony, but his hand was over my mouth, cold as snow.

"Shh," he hushed, and withdrew his hand and straightened up.

Suddenly, four sharp pins—nails, teeth? He was moving too fast for me to see—ripped across my torso. I screamed again.

Bright crimson blood poured from the wounds, and Edward's distant eyes flashed with intense hunger.

There was another time when a different vampire had been torturing me in another long hallway. As when I'd bled the last time, I was grateful. The blood seeping through my shirt guaranteed that no matter what Matthew—or Jane or Aro for that matter—had planned, they could not keep Edward away from his bleeding _la tua cantante_—his _singer_ for much longer.

Just as that other time, the vampire in front of me put his foot gently on top of my leg. Edward smiled down at me pleasantly. Deja vu was a strange feeling. But that disappeared completely when Edward stomped down hard on my leg.

"AHHHH!" I screamed as I felt the bone shatter. Pain shot down my leg so intensely that I screamed again when the pain did not lessen after the first few seconds.

More pain.

No fear.

Edward crouched down to my level, balancing on the balls of his feet. He leaned over to me, his lips at my ear.

"I love you," he whispered in my ear. And his hand slammed into my shoulder, sending me flying sideways along the wall. My arm and leg were burning, almost numb with the scorching agony.

I went still, barely conscious, the blood loss and pain all over was sucking away all of my energy. Through barely lidded eyes, I watched him amble to where I lay. His eyes were still bright with hunger He crouched down as before, leaning in closer to me. Only this time, he took my face between his hands. Through the pain…through all the unbearable, searing pain, I could still appreciate that he was the most beautiful thing I had ever seen.

Edward was here with me while I was dying. What more could I ask for?

And suddenly the pain didn't matter.

Suddenly, the incredibly strong Volturi and their guard waiting somewhere outside didn't matter.

None of it mattered, because Edward was here with me.

It didn't matter that I'd never gotten my wedding night with him.

It didn't matter that I'd never gotten to become immortal with him.

For the incredibly short time we had, I was immeasurably grateful. That I had even had the good fortune to meet him—to lay eyes on him, I was unimaginably grateful.

And despite all of the circumstances facing me, despite all the pain…I was happy. In that moment, I was completely content.

Edward was with me.

I didn't care that he was the one killing me. I didn't care that I was dying.

He was here with me as I was dying.

I couldn't ask for anything more.

"Edward," I gasped, my face still between his hands. "Edward…"

"Are you going to tell me to stop? To leave you alone?" His voice changed. I wondered vaguely if Matthew were tying to make me say something that would hurt Edward. I wondered if somewhere beyond what Matthew was making him do and say, he was still in there—hearing and seeing.

"No," I gasped honestly, trying to regulate my breathing. "Don't leave me." I couldn't imagine him leaving me all alone. If I were to die like this…I could take it, even welcome it—as long as Edward was here with me. Across the room Matthew stiffened. "I don't want to die without you here." His hands did not move from either side of my face, only loosened enough so I could move.

With whatever strength I had left, I leaned forward to press my lips to his icy cold granite that would always be my sanctuary.

I leaned back and rested my head against the stone wall that was almost as cold as his skin.

I knew death was coming, and I was almost glad.

If I died, I hoped Edward would be happy until something happened and he would be able to join me. I was selfish enough to wish something would so I would be able to see him again—whether in Heaven or in Hell. It made no difference, as long as we were together.

I was almost glad things had turned out this way. At least I had gotten to spend my last moments on Earth with Edward, and I didn't want anything more.

"I'm glad for everything," I managed to whisper.

I was convinced miracles didn't exist until Edward had entered my life. I was lucky to have had as much time with him as I did. Anything more would have just thrown the universe more out of balance.

Even as I lay here, my body broken and burning with pain, I was happy.

I was so completely happy I thought I would burst with it.

"Don't blame yourself, all right?" I could now feel hot tears leaking down my cheeks, and my vision blurred. I used my good arm to wipe the away, determined to take in as much of his perfection as I could before I died. "All I want—" I had to take in a shuddering breath and wipe my eyes again, "all I want is for you to be happy."

The next words I whispered were ones that I knew were true. Even if my life was over…even if these were my last moments…even if I would never see his perfect face again, these words were true. No force in the world, or universe would be able to alter the utter perfect honesty of these words. For the last two years, I had eaten, slept, and breathed these words.

They were a part of me.

So deep a part, in fact, that they had destroyed me once. They were latched onto—no; they had sunken into my soul. These next words I murmured were what my soul was now made of.

They were my essence—the very core of my being.

I closed my eyes, feeling the tears trapped in my eyelashes collide into my cheek. When I closed them I was surrounded by darkness.

Most people say that when they are about to die, they see a light at the end of the tunnel.

I was so much luckier.  
I saw Edward.

"I love you," I whispered and slipped into the welcoming darkness.


	23. Chapter 22: Hell

Shooting Star

**CHAPTER 22: **_**Hell**_

I was fairly sure I was dead.

And I was pretty sure I was in Hell.

Maybe loving a vampire was a sin in itself.

It was just like my abandonment nightmares during the worst five months of my life. I was stumbling through the dripping green maze that was the forest. Only this time, I could somewhat see Edward. He was zipping through the forest at a speed that blurred his form. I was running behind him, vainly trying to catch him. Only I was still human, tripping over every branch and stump as I hurried after him. At least I could see him this time.

This wasn't so bad, I thought to myself and kept running.

"Edward!" I called. "Edward, wait for me!" But the shadow didn't turn, didn't even slow his pace as he weaved through the trees. I tripped on a jutting root and was sent sprawling to the forest floor. My hands caught more roots and I sucked in a breath as the rough edges scraped across my palms. I scrambled to right myself.

I was going to lose him.

I finally jumped to my feet and start sprinting through the forest again. I could still see him, and I almost cried with relief. The blurred shadow was further away, but still visible. I ran and ran until my legs burned with the exertion but I still ran, refusing to lose him because of my human frailties.

And then, abruptly, he disappeared.

I sped up, trying to see him again, but he was gone now. I could not see him. The blurred shadow had vanished into the green haze that was everywhere. I stubbornly kept running, rasping out his name. But then I realized he was gone—truly gone. There was nothing to find. And just as before, I started screaming.

Only this time, I didn't wake up.

The hole in my heart that had completely disappeared when Edward had come back last spring, ripped open. I'd forgotten such pain. I collapsed to my knees, wrapping my arms around my chest to keep the hole from ripping me in half. How had I lived like this—day in and day out? The edges burned sickeningly and I sobbed. Wave after wave of unendurable pain slashed through the hole in my chest like a sword layered with alcohol. The pain burned unimaginably intense and I screamed with it.

Tears leaked down my cheeks, as I squeezed my arms tighter around myself. I could feel the hole ripping itself wider— trying to consume all of me. If this was Hell, I thought ruefully though my pain, I had it relatively easy.

If this was Hell, I'd already lived through it.

But then the scene abruptly changed, and the burning hole in my chest disappeared completely.

Of course it wouldn't be that easy, I thought.

There was no light—no light at all. I was encased in pitch black. It was so dark, that I felt suffocated by it. I tried to speak, but I couldn't pull enough air into my lungs to form words—I could barely breathe.

I floated under the darkness, seeing nothing, hearing nothing. All I felt was a dull emptiness. Was this supposed to be worse than the searing pain in the forest? Was this supposed to torture me? I just smiled and closed my eyes.

But that's when I realized why this was Hell.

I couldn't remember the exact shape of Edward's jaw, the beautiful color of his eyes, the musical intonation of his voice. I couldn't call back anything but blurry flashes of pale skin.

And then I wasn't floating anymore—I was falling, falling through the darkness. The weightless feeling in my stomach reminded me of the time I'd jumped off the cliff in La Push.

When I was alive, I added to myself.

But now I was dead, I was alone, and I was falling. And I couldn't even remember him. This was worse than the searing pain in the forest. At least there I could think of Edward in perfect detail, even though it hurt.

Here there was nothing.

No sight, no sound—just the dull horror and emptiness of not remembering him.

I used the small amount of air I had in my lungs and screamed as I fell. This was a scream of horror, of hopelessness, as opposed to the pain I had endured earlier. I wished I were back on the forest floor, clutching my chest to keep it whole as I shrieked in pain.

The emptiness consumed me, and there was nothing but darkness.

Emptiness as I fell. This was worse than anything I had ever experienced— worse than any pain I'd ever had. Because, as I fell forever, I couldn't even think of him. I couldn't even see his perfect face behind his eyelids.

This was the definition of my Hell.

There was no better way to torture me than this.

I fell, and time was meaningless. Soon, I forgot the color of his eyes, and the shade of his skin, and the cadences in which he spoke. But I whispered his name over and over. Even if I forgot everything else—even my own name—I refused to let Hell tear that away from me.

"Edward, Edward, Edward," I chanted in a whisper as I whooshed downwards. "Edward, Edward, I love Edward."

Over and over I repeated his name until it didn't sound like a word or a name anymore. It was just a sound that escaped my mouth. But I refused to stop—refused to forget.

"Edward, Edward, Edward. I love you, Edward."

More time passed, but I was unaware.

But then suddenly, there was _something_ in the darkness in which I fell. Sounds, to be more exact. No light, no feeling but only sounds.

First was a steady ticking, like a heartbeat. It was faint, but I clung to the sound—anything to pull me out of the nothingness.

And then a growl started, echoing in the darkness. More growling and a familiar ripping noise. I brought me back to when I had drifted under the dark waters in Phoenix.

And then the voices started.

"Carlisle!" The growling continued, and then the sound of boulders colliding. I was confused. Why did the growling not stop?

"Edward, stop this! Edward, STOP!" A high voice shouted. Alice? Why was Alice in Hell too? The growling continued, and more crashes that echoed so loudly in the darkness that it hurt my ears.

I was relieved. Through all the confusion and contradicting sounds, I could remember his face, and his voice.

The ripping noise grew in volume, and I screamed because it hurt. But then, abruptly, the sound cut off.

"Edward?" Silence extended for a long time before finally I heard another voice. The voice of a familiar angel calling my name.

Could this really be Hell, I wondered, if I could hear the voice of an angel?

"Bella! No, please, Bella, please. No, no!"

And suddenly. I could feel. Cold, soothing hands were touching my eyelids, my cheeks, my lips. I sighed and leaned into the touch. Maybe I wasn't in Hell after all. But that made no sense.

"Oh, God, Bella, no. I'm so sorry, no, no."

Its okay, I wanted tell him, but I could not find my body. I was dead, after all.

There were sounds of conflict in the distance, but I didn't care. I could hear the angel's voice.

"Carlisle, what should I do?" The angel's voice was anguished. Carlisle? Why was he here too? He of all people did not belong in Hell.

But as the angel spoke, the faint ticking that had under lied all of the other sounds, drifted out of existence.

"NO!" The angel cried.

"What's wrong?" A low voice asked.

"She stopped breathing…" the angel's voice was only a whisper. A sharp inhale sounded from far away, and I was pulled away from the sounds—away from the angel's voice, back into the darkness.

"No!" I called, but no sound escaped my lips. But I heard, as if from underwater, the voices still talking. I almost cried in relief when I found I could still hear the angel's voice, and all of the others.

"Edward, you'll have to change her." The angel did not respond, only a low growl rose. "It's the only way. She's lost too much blood. There's no way she can survive this."

"No! I won't do that to her," the angel shouted, his voice angry, yet still musical.

"If you don't she's gone. She's already technically dead; you only have a few moments before it will be too late for even to turn her."

"It's what she wanted, Edward," the high voice I thought was Alice said softly.

"But—"

"It's your decision, Edward. You were already going to give her immortality."

"It's different now," the musical voice protested loudly.

"How so?" Alice's voice asked.

"We don't have time to be arguing. Edward, it's now or never." Silence.

"I love you," he whispered, and, slowly, I felt cool lips at my throat.

_"It was just something about…his lips would be the last good thing I would feel…"_ I remembered thinking

And then, the fire I had felt once before began to burn in my neck. I screamed and writhed against it. The fire spread faster and faster through my veins. But the cold lips did not leave my skin, and I was grateful. The fire spread through my body, and I kept screaming. More and more fire kept adding and spreading. So these were the fires of Hell that everyone kept talking about.

No wonder everyone was so afraid of them—they hurt _so_ much.

The fire kept spreading until it had my entire body encased in the fiery torture. But then the cool lips left my neck.

I screamed.

"Bella, Bella," the angel's voice calmed me. The fire continued, but so did the voice.

So maybe this was Hell after all.

But it couldn't be, if he was here with me.

"I'm here. Shh, it's okay. Can you hear me, Bella? I love you."

The fire did not cease, and time became meaningless. There was only the fire and his voice. The darkness still wrapped around me, and I could not see his face. But I could hear him.

As the hours, and maybe days dragged on, I clung to his voice—my only connection to my sanity.

Soon enough, I stopped screaming—it did nothing to ease the pain. For the longest time, there was nothing but fire and the angel's voice. But then, after a while, I could hear the voices again. Not only his, but the others.

"So it's really been done, hasn't it?" Was that Jasper?

"Yes," the angel replied in an emotionless tone.

"She's going to be one of us now?" That was Alice, I was certain.

"It's been three days, Carlisle," the angel said, his voice strained and anxious.

"She had so much damage before. It will take longer for the venom to heal her." I felt a cold hand on my lips, my cheek. In the depths of the burning fire, the icy touch of his cold skin felt heavenly.

"How much longer do you think this will take?"

"I can't say," Carlisle replied. In the distance I heard something that sounded like a door being opened.

"How is she doing?" Esme?

"As you probably heard, she's stopped screaming," Jasper explained. I felt another cold hand on my forehead.

"Poor dear. She's been through so much." There were no voices for a time, and I felt myself slipping back into the darkness.

Someone talk, I wanted to scream at them, but the fire would not let me move.

"Bella," the angel murmured, an icy finger brushing the length of my arm. Thank God. And slowly, I began to feel the fire fading from my fingertips. I wiggled them, trying to see if I could move them on my own. I could.

But the fire kept burning.

I was still convinced I was in Hell. Weren't all the stories about burning for eternity? I could take this, if the angel was allowed to stay in Hell with me.

"I think she's improving," Carlisle's voice informed us.

"Really?" The angel's voice was anxious.

"She's moving on her own. Look at her hands."

"How long do you think this will take now?" That was Alice.

"Not that long, considering Edward bit her on the neck. I would say a couple more hours and she'll wake up."

That gave me hope, although I wasn't sure what I would be waking up to. I was dead, wasn't I? Edward had killed me, and I was in Hell. But somehow, Edward was here with me, guiding my through the fiery torture. Was there an end to Hell as there was to life?

More time passed, and there was more fire.

"Bella…Bella," Edward kept murmuring in my ear. The pain was fading from my hands and feet, and I started twisting those around.

"Look, she's moving more." Alice's voice was excited.

"That's good. It means it's almost over." Silence.

"How do you feel about this, Edward?" Esme's soft voice asked. He hesitated for a moment before answering.

"I am…relieved, for one. I'm glad that I will never have to lose her. I am glad that now I am never going to hurt her again. But I didn't want her to lose her soul. I didn't want her to become a monster like me."

I tried to speak, and was surprised to find I was successful.

"Edward…" It came out sounding like a garbled cough.

"Bella!" Cold fingers were on my face, my neck. "Bella, Bella, I love you."

"Edward," I tried again, and it came out a little more clearly. The pain was dulling—slowly receding from my torso—completely gone from my extremities.

"Bella, is the fire gone?" Carlisle's voice asked.

"Not all," I managed. "Why is the fire going away?"  
"What?"

"I'm in Hell, aren't I?" I clarified, "I'm dead. There's not supposed to be an end."

"You're not dead, Bella," Edward explained.

"Yes, I am. I was in Hell." It took so much effort to speak, but I wanted answers, now that the fire was almost gone. "And the fire…"

"You're being changed, Bella," his musical voice was at my ear, his icy lips felt so good. "You're going to be immortal."

I fell silent at those words. Suddenly, everything made sense—all the voices and the sounds.

I was becoming a vampire. I was going to be immortal—free to stay at Edward's side for eternity. Even as the small pain that was left burning in my neck, I silently rejoiced.

More time went by, and I felt the fire draining out of me, replaced by calm, silent strength.

Suddenly, I sat up, my eyes flying open. I scanned the room.

My vision was so much clearer than before. I could see everything with microscopic detail. I was lying on Edward's bed at the Cullen's house, Edward kneeling beside it. All of their faces were so clear and beautiful—Carlisle, Esme, Alice, Jasper, against the wall Emmett and Rosalie, Tessa, Erin, and…I gazed at the last face.

"I'm…a vampire?"

"Yes. Bella."

"Oh."

His golden eyes were agonized.

"About what I did in Italy. I'm so sorry. I didn't want to do any of those things to you, but Matthew was…and then I could see everything, but I couldn't do anything about it. I feel sick, even as I see you here, safe and with me, I feel so completely disgusted with myself because it's _my_ fault everything happened. _I_ was the one who hurt you so badly, and I couldn't stop it, and…" I put a finger to his lips. Not to my surprise, my hand was long and white and elegant.

"Forgiven. Let's talk about other stuff."

And then it hit me like a freight train.

The thirst.

An undeniable ache to slice and drink. I could almost feel the hot liquid flowing down my throat. I shuddered.

"What was that?" I asked, voice shaky. "The…thirst."

"We'll have to take you hunting," Edward said, his face still anxious.

"Calm down," I ordered him. "I told you not to blame yourself, remember?"

I leaped down from the bed, and the speed was exhilarating. I was graceful…for once in my life, I did not trip on anything. I smiled to myself.

"This is incredible!" I said in wonder. I twirled around.

"Well, Bella," Edward said, taking me into his arms. His golden eyes sparkled. "Welcome to immortality."


	24. Chapter 23: Reflect Effect

Shooting Star

**CHAPTER 23: **_**Reflect Effect**_

I was flying.

I could see why Edward loved this.

My legs felt so swift and powerful—I could feel the muscles on bones pulling together as I ran. I could feel every part of my body simultaneously. Feel the wind my speed created (although I was sad to find I could not feel its coldness or warmth). With my crystal clear vision, I could see every tree, every stick, and every stone as I rocketed past them, weaving in and out of trees. The tastes and smells were almost the same. I could taste the air—the scents of moss, and dew, and animals. There was also a new sense—I could not quite feel, but _sense_ where every living thing around me was.

The new sense was not so much added on, but a combination of all of the others. I could hear, crystal clear, the heartbeat of a chipmunk scrambling through the brush, feel the vibrations in the air as it squeaked, taste it's scent on the air, and see the flash of brown as I flew past it.

Everything around me was _alive_.

I realized in a flash, this was the way Edward had seen the world for some eighty-odd years. How dull the world looked through human eyes in comparison. It was as if a wool blanket had been lifted from over me.

I looked down at my arms. The sunlight streaming through the trees made them glitter brightly. I held my arm closer to my eyes, trying to see the hidden facets where the sparkles on my skin originated from.

"Bella!" A voice called softly from behind me, but I heard it. "Wait for me." I slammed to a halt two inches from the tree I was about to go rocketing into with almost no effort at all. I saw Edward in crystal clear detail as he flew up beside me in a motion that would have been blurred to my human eyes. He caught me in his arms. They no longer felt incredibly cold and stony, but just a neutral temperature and very muscular.

It was something I would miss.

"Well, I had to beat you at something, someday," I explained. He smiled. Even though I was immortal and my vision was clearer, his smile did not change. It was still the single most beautiful thing I had ever witnessed.

"Is that it?"

"Of course." He shook his head.

"You are one of a kind, Bella Swan."

"Bella Cullen, thank you very much," I corrected. He chuckled and smiled again. And then his lips were on mine. This would be the first kiss after I'd been turned immortal, since we'd had to go hunting right away. Every nerve ending in my body seemed to be on fire. Everything about our kisses was amplified. I was glad I was stronger now, or I would have fainted.

He did not hesitate like before, his lips were urgent on mine. I sighed, and opened my mouth on his, and he did the same. I felt his tongue trace the lines of my mouth—the insides of my cheeks, my teeth. It was incredible. His hands moved greedily over my shoulders and slid down my arms, then to my waist, and I mirrored him. Everything he was doing, everything I was doing—I could feel it all, and it was absolutely amazing.

For once in my life, I was the one to break away first. I was getting too thirsty.

"Sorry," I apologized. "I just really need something to eat."

"It's all right." He took my hand. "Let's go find something for you now, shall we?"

And we were running together, in perfect sync, legs, arms, all one fluid motion, our hands never parting. Suddenly, I could feel a very strong heartbeat not too far off.

"What is that?" I asked him.

"Grizzly," Edward answered. I could almost hear the blood rushing through its veins.

"Grizzly?" He chuckled when he saw my nervous expression. "What do I do?"

"You'll see," he answered with a smile in his voice. "Just follow your instincts, and it won't get away." I was nervous, to be honest, although my new strength coursing through my body soothed my worries some.

I could hear the heartbeat growing louder as we approached, and we were in a clearing. The bear was at the other end, plucking berries from a twig. The thirst flared, the venom forming in my throat burned. I wanted to fly at the creature and sink my teeth into it. I could almost feel it—the sensation of piercing its skin.

I gasped, horrified.

"What's wrong?" Edward whispered.

"It just…feels so…"

"It _is_ strange, I know. You can see why it disgusts us to take human lives." I shuddered, my eyes widening at the thought. How could other vampires not feel guilty about that _desire_ towards a human? It was sickening.

"Yes," I managed.

"You'd better hurry, or it's going to get away, love," Edward advised. I squared my shoulders, and took a deep breath, closing my eyes.

And I opened them, letting the thirst drive me.

I sprang, letting my body do what it was made to. I crossed the clearing in a fraction of a second. The bear growled, and I was surprised to hear a fierce snarl rip from my own chest as well. My hand shot out of its own accord to block the bear's paw as it swiped. And suddenly, my mouth was at its neck. I buried my head in the soft fur there, and bared my teeth.

And there was the sickening, yet blissful feeling as my razor sharp teeth pierced its skin. The bear roared, and with a quick, but powerful smack, I felt the bear's neck snap. It crumpled to the ground, and I followed it, my mouth never leaving its throat. I felt the blood flowing out of the wound and into my mouth.

It was like ice cold water after crossing a large, very hot desert. I could feel it flowing into _my _body and begin to circulate through _my_ veins. The feeling was like adrenaline, only intensified. And the taste! I could not describe it—only that it was addictive.

And through the frenzy of blood, I felt another presence next to me. I immediately knew it was Edward. There was a wild part of me that had the urge to kick him off my kill.

I was horrified at myself that I was thinking that. So I ignored it and just kept feeding, until I felt as if I were so electrically charged, if I drank anymore I would explode with the energy coursing through me. I lifted my head up, and looked over at Edward.

His face was buried in the bear's fur, just as mine had been. I could see his eyes were glowing a bright red as mine probably were. He was crouched in a predatory position. As a human, this might have frightened me. But now there was a feral side of me that saw him as a dominant hunter. He looked strong and wild—a side of Edward I had never seen.

I just watched him, until eventually he lifted his head.

We just sat for a minute, looking at each other. And suddenly, I heard a voice in my head. It was like the one I heard when I had jumped from the cliff in La Push, only a bit different. This time the voice wasn't talking _to_ me, but _about_ me.

_I shouldn't have expected any different. Of course I can't read her mind. The change wouldn't have affected that inability. _

"Edward?" His eyes suddenly were focused on me, as opposed to the distant look they'd hosted a minute ago.

"Yes?" The voice in my head cut off.

"Did you hear that?" His eyes were wide.

"What?" I concentrated.

"I heard your voice in my head." Edward only stared.

_Is she joking? What's going on? Maybe it was a coincidence. She wouldn't have that power. That's impossible—she showed no signs of being sensitive to people's thoughts while she was human—_

"I can here you, Edward."

"This is not feasible." He was shaking his head in disbelief. He jumped up fluidly and I followed him. "We need to go see Carlisle," he muttered, and I only nodded.

We were flying through the trees, almost faster than before. Edward did not let go of my hand, but his expression was confused, not angry, and that comforted me some. Sooner than I expected the house was in view, and we raced to the door. Before Edward wrenched it open, I noticed something in the window glass.

My reflection.

My usually matted, unruly hair, now looked curly, and disarrayed in a stylish way—the way supermodels' hair looks when they let it air dry in a commercial. My usually too long-looking face now looked narrow in a delicately pretty way. My nose looked thinner and straighter, and my cheekbones were more defined. And my eyes. Although they were bright red, they were huge, shining—mysterious. It was as if the change had brought out my best features, while my less attractive ones had faded into the background. I wasn't stunning like Rosalie, but I was defiantly gorgeous.

Most importantly, I looked like someone who belonged at Edward's side.

We hurried through the door.

"Carlisle?" Edward called. I saw him glide effortlessly down the stairs and into the front room.

"What is it, Edward?"

"Bella was hearing my thoughts." Carlisle's eyes widened.

"Can you read mine?" He asked me. I concentrated, but Carlisle's calm voice did not speak in my head.

"No," I answered.

And then Alice spoke, her voice tinkling clear as a bell.

"What's going on?"

Suddenly, in my mind's eye, I saw Alice, standing in the front room beside Carlisle—Edward and I in front of them. "Bella can read minds?" She questioned. I opened my eyes, and Alice was down the stairs.

"Bella can read minds?" She asked.

"Apparently only Edward's." I gasped.

"What is it?" Carlisle asked.

"Alice," I whispered. "I saw you saying that a second before you said it.

"What?" She questioned, her voice equally shocked.

"In my head, I saw you standing there, and then you said "Bella can read minds?" and when I opened my eyes, you went over, stood in that spot, and said it."

"That's how mine works." Alice's voice was hushed with wonder.

"What does this mean?" Edward asked, voice incredulous.

"I have no idea," Carlisle said, an expression of shock on his face. Edward's thoughts were racing so fast that I couldn't separate them.

"Let me try something," he said and called: "Jasper." He was beside Alice in a split second, although I saw every leonine movement he made since he appeared at the top of the stairs.

It was strange. I felt as if I could feel waves of…feelings rolling off him. At first, the wave made me confused, and then, as he laid eyes on Alice, the same contentment I felt near Edward.

"What's going on?"

"Bella can hear my thoughts," Edward explained.

"And see my future," Alice added.

"Bella," Carlisle inquired, "can you feel anything around Jasper."

"Yes," I answered, "it's like…waves of feeling—like pulses, or radio waves. They all are the same until it changed. Like Jasper was confused, and then it changed when he looked at Alice."

They all stared at me.

"What?"  
"How can this be, Carlisle?" Edward asked incredulous. All I heard in his head was:

_Impossible…this is impossible. Insane impossibility…_

"Can you try to control the waves coming off of Jasper?" Carlisle asked calmly. I focused on the waves, and tried to change them, thinking mad thoughts, and sent them directly at Japer. Out of the corner of my eye, I saw him stiffen.

"How do you feel?" I asked.

"I suddenly got…very angry." I nodded.

"What power does she have?" Alice's voice was skeptical, "if she can use all of our own powers against us."

"Perhaps," Carlisle suggested, "she can…reflect powers back at the one who uses them."

"Is that possible?" Jasper questioned.

"It's certainly not _im_possible. There's no way to know for sure."  
"Wow," I said, my head spinning. I could read Edward's mind, see Alice's future, control Jasper's emotions. I could reflect vampire powers. "Does that mean the Alice's and Jasper's talents don't work on me anymore?"

Everyone looked at Alice. She closed her eyes, and concentrated. All was still for along minute.

"I still see Bella's future," Alice said with a nod. She turned to Jasper. I sensed calming waves directed at me, and I felt the tension in my body slowly recede.

"It still works." I was the one who answered this time.

"This is incredible," Carlisle said, impressed.

_This is absolutely amazing,_ Edward was thinking _Impossible, but amazing…_ But then, in Edward's head, I heard other voices talking.

_I wonder if it applies to all vampires..._ that was Carlisle's voice.

_Can she only see _my_ future? _–Alice.

_I wonder… if she wanted to resist my powers, she might be able to. I wonder who would win out_ –Jasper. And then Edward again.

_ So much we don't know…_

"I can hear you all through Edward," I told them. The words sounded strange as they exited my mouth. All eyes were on me.

"I wonder if it works like that," Carlisle mused, the first to recover. "If you hear everything that's going on in Edward's head, so, through him, you can read everyone's mind. Then if he's reading Alice's mind, he can see what she sees, and therefore you can. How strange…"

"I'm a pro at strange."

_I know you are, Bella,_ Edward though at me. I smiled back at him and giggled.

"This is **so** cool."


	25. Chapter 24: Relationships

Shooting Star

**CHAPTER 24: **_**Relationships**_

I needed to talk to Jacob.

That was a fact.

No one had heard from him since that night at the convenience store. I knew he was safe, but that did little to ease the anxiety.

Was he back in La Push? If he was, did he know what I was—what I'd become? If I saw him again, face to face, how would he treat me? Would he think of me as if I were dead, seeing me standing there as a vampire? Would he want to kill me? And how would I regard him now? What would be different? Would anything be the same?

A little while later—after we had informed the rest of the Cullens of my "little talent"—Edward and I entered the dining room to find Carlisle with a silver cell phone pressed to his ear.

"I understand that Caius," Carlisle was saying, an edge into his voice. There was a slight buzzing on the other end. "No, that's not what I was referring to—" Carlisle looked up as he saw us sit down at the table. Edward was staring at Carlisle, concentrating very hard on something. I looked at Edward and did the same. This time it was not his own voice I heard in Edward's head, but Carlisle's.

_Do they realize what Aro and Jane have instigated? They can't possibly let him continue to rule in the Volturi. It's breaking the rules that underlie our existence._

Jane _and_ Aro were in on it. So that's why Aro hadn't seemed different—he wasn't. Why would he go against those who had been his companions for thousands of years, though. It didn't make sense.

"Have you spoken to him—oh. Oh, I didn't realize…" his eyes flickered to me and away. "Yes she is, but I don't see how that's relevant." There was a slight pause. "I see. So you are keeping the rest though? That's quite fair."

I didn't want to read Carlisle's thoughts through Edward anymore. It was…exhausting. I couldn't understand how Edward did this twenty four seven. I sighed. I'd just wait until he explained outright.

"And Jane?" Another pause. "I was thinking the same. And what about the catalyst, Matthew? He was only obeying orders…" I looked over at Edward, and he was no longer staring at Carlisle, but his brow was furrowed in concentration, his eyes closed as if to hear something better. "That's good." Carlisle seemed relieved for the young vampire. I leaned over to whisper in Edward's ear.

"What's going on?" I asked.

"Aro and Jane tried to overrule Caius, Marcus, and Heidi. They didn't have much of a choice with Matthew there. Jane has been destroyed, since she was the one who proposed the idea, according to Aro. Aro is still being detained. They don't want to destroy him, since he was so close to them for thousands of years."

"Why would he do that to them?" I asked. Carlisle was still murmuring away on the phone. I didn't worry about listening though—Edward would pick it up, or Carlisle would tell me later.

"Three thousand years of sharing complete power became boring for him. I could see it the moment we got to Italy. He was very fond of Heidi, Caius, and Marcus especially, but his greed was greater. The power of human blood brings out many human desires and frailties, such as power lust, and self-indulgence.

"He only agreed to share the power with Jane because she was very dear to him. There were not quite mates, but almost."

"So now it's just Caius, Marcus, and Heidi?" Edward nodded.

"Yes."

"What about you?" To my surprise, the corner of Edward's mouth twitched up into a half smile.

"Because of the "circumstances"" Edward made little quotation marks in the air with his fingers, "my contract, along with Alice's, as been revoked."

"That's great!" I exclaimed, throwing my arms around him. He chuckled at my response. Across the table, Carlisle snapped the phone shut loudly and sighed, crumpling into the nearest chair.

"What's the news?" Edward asked, "I wasn't listening."

"Besides what you already heard, and told Bella? Caius, Marcus, and Heidi have decided that, well… "rules are rules" were the exact words they used."

"So Aro is dead?" I asked in a hushed voice.

"Not yet." Was all he said on the subject.

"But no hard feelings from the Volturi…or what's left of it I guess?" My voice was high, edgy.

"None what-so-ever," Carlisle replied.

"Did you hear anything from Tanya and the others?" Edward asked in a neutral voice. Carlisle nodded.

"I asked about them. They said they followed the scent to Tanya's, but she explained, as she said she would. And they had Elizabeth with them, so they could tell she wasn't lying about it. There was no harm there." All of us breathed a sigh of relief.

"But we're still on bad terms?" I asked.

"Yes." Carlisle and Edward answered at the same time, looked at each other, and then laughed. I could see, as they laughed together, the strength of the father-son connection between then. Perhaps fate wasn't only real in fairy tales and movies. If fate could have brought Carlisle to Edward, and then Edward to me, I certainly believed in it.

"They are no longer our allies," Edward clarified.

"But Tessa and Erin are staying with us now?" They both just nodded. Esme walked in, joining the conversation effortlessly. She sighed.

"We'll have to extend the house…_again_." Carlisle laughed with her. Once again, I wondered at the power of fate.

"I've already had my room take once," Edward grumbled, glaring at Alice as she danced into the room.

"I've said it once, and I'll say it again: Your room had the best view. If you didn't want me in your room, you shouldn't have gone hunting the day we were going to arrive." She smiled angelically.

"Not all of us can be fortune telling freaks," Edward shot back. Alice stuck out her tongue.

"Now, now," Esme cautioned in a motherly tone, "play nice." We all laughed at that. Edward wove his fingers through mine. Of all the examples of fate, I had ever seen, it was me and Edward. We were a walking, talking miracle.

As I had concluded once, we shared a love so strong, so invincible that it could not exist in a rational world. Fate had created, shaped, and molded the world I now lived in, and was to thank for the last—and best—two years of my life.

And I was _so_ grateful.

Although I had hunted earlier this morning, the thirst was back. I leaned over to whisper in Edward's ear.

"I'm thirsty already. Is it always like this?"

"For the first week or so, but then you will start to be thirsty less and less. Soon enough you'll be able to go a day without feeding. Well, for you, I suppose. Seeing as you are hard bent against taking human life, so I suppose you'll be better at restraining your thirst than the rest of us were." Those words, simple as they were, gave me hope.

"Thirsty already, Bella?" Emmett chuckled, appearing behind us.

"Would you care to raise the stakes, Emmett?" Jasper asked, also materializing.

"Bring it on, Jasper, my man." They shook hands.

"We'll discuss the technicalities later," Jasper said coolly.

"I'm sorry to burst your bubble, guys," I interjected, craning my head back over the chair to look at them, "but I don't think the population of Forks will decrease much because of me."

"Too bad," Jasper sighed, drifting over to Alice.

"Keep that mentality," Emmett whispered and winked. I chuckled. Across the room, Rosalie sighed and crossed her arms. "Don't be like that," Emmett coaxed, a smile on his face as he was suddenly in front of Rosalie, prying her arms from each other. She glared at him, the corner of her mouth twitching as if she was fighting a smile. I sighed.

There were only two loose ends to tie up, and they were both intertwined.

First—the treaty. Since we'd gotten back…three days ago, I guess it was, we'd heard nothing from Sam or the rest of the wolves. Since Edward had bitten me, I suppose the treaty might have been broken, although he didn't bite me in Forks so I wondered if it still applied. None of the Cullens had wanted to go talk to them—they were all worried about me.

I'd heard that much through Edward's mind.

If we had broken the treaty, either the wolves didn't know about it yet, or were waiting for us to come to them. The last seemed unlikely, given the werewolves' tempers. If we hadn't broken the treaty, they were most likely silently brooding, or, again, they didn't know about it yet.

The second—Jacob. How would _he _take this? All the wolves would be angry at the least, but Jacob would without doubt take this worst of all. And if Jacob didn't know already, I didn't know how I could break it to him. I didn't want to show up at his door in all my "I vant to suck your blood"ness without him knowing first. Although, I realized with a sinking pang of sadness, I would never be allowed to set foot in La Push again.

Calling him first sounded like the best plan at the moment, and then maybe going to see him. Of course, this thirst was still there, burning in my throat, but I found it was easy to control it when I thought of newspaper headlines—lists of names. I would probably have to go hunting first.

"Hey, Edward?" I asked in a hushed voice.

"Yes?" He asked, turning to look at me. Although I had become immortal, it did not make any difference the effect his eyes had on me. It took me a minute to gather my scattered thoughts. I looked around at the rest of the Cullens in the room, some of them talking amongst themselves, while a couple pairs of eyes were focused on us.

"Could I talk to you in private about something?"  
"Of course," he replied. Using my newfound speed, I was up in his bedroom I about five seconds flat. This was amazing. He was, of course, right behind me.

"Edward…" I hesitated. He just gazed on expectantly, "have you heard anything from the pack?" He didn't speak for a minute. I didn't feel like tapping into his thoughts at the moment. I could tell what he meant about eavesdropping. "About the treaty and everything I mean."

"No," he said, shaking his head slowly, "There was nothing so far. I told Carlisle to wait to contact them until you felt you were…ready." He didn't look at me as he said this.

"Are we moving after a while?" Edward still didn't look at me as he nodded. Pain shot through me, clear and strong. I would be leaving Forks behind after all. I was surprised to find I did actually feel great sadness at leaving the soggy little town. "So we have broken the treaty after all?"

"Yes," Edward answered.

Loose end number one: tied.

Neither of us spoke for a long time.

"Then I'll need to talk to Jake, okay?" I reached out a hand to stroke his cheek as the flair of pain shot across his face. "To wrap everything up, I mean. I need to say goodbye before I don't get to see him again." Edward nodded slowly, and looked back up at me.

"Whatever you need, love. Whatever makes you happy."

"See," I sighed, placing my hands around his waist, "this is why it is _so_ hard to be in love with you some times." His eyebrows shot up in surprise.

"Why?"

"You're always so understanding and not selfish, and it makes me want to vomit." He smiled crookedly.

"You do know it's physically impossible for a vampire to throw up, right?" I shrugged, waving it off.

"You get the idea." He chuckled. "I think," I said slowly, "that I should…call Jake first. To see if he knows, you know? I wouldn't want it to take him by surprise." How much pain could I cause him? Edward smiled ruefully and patted my head.

"You go call Jacob. I'll wait in the den." I wound my fingers though his and we were back downstairs in an instant. Edward pulled a silver cell phone—one almost identical to Carlisle's—and handed it to me. His fingers lingered on mine for a brief second before he disappeared from sight in a second. Almost instantaneously, I felt the dull ache of his absence. This was why I could not live without him. This is why I had to talk to Jacob—to tell him everything.

I owed him that much, didn't I?

I flipped open the phone delicately. Everything felt so fragile now—I even had to walk and run with care. I barely pressed the familiar numbers on the phone, and placed it to my ear. I could hear it ringing through the speakers. Suddenly, I realized it didn't want to talk to Jacob right now. I couldn't talk right now, but somehow I was unable to hand up.

_Don't pick up, don't pick up, don't pick up!_ I chanted intensely in my head. I jumped when I heard Jacob's answering machine click on, and then breathed a sigh of relief.

"Hey, you've reached Billy and Jacob Black," Jacob said on the recording, "we can't get to the phone right now, so leave a message and we'll get back to ya'." There was a beep, and then silence. It took me a split second to snap back into it.

"Hey, Jake," I said into the phone. My voice sounded strange, even to me, "Its Bella. I hope you're back in La Push. Call me, okay? There are some things I need to talk to you about, and some things we need to work out. Well…just call me back." I rattled off Edward's cell phone number. "I'll talk to you soon, Jake. Bye." I snapped the phone shut with a little too much force, but was relieved when I saw the phone wasn't damaged.

I sighed, walked into the dining room, and sat down in a chair at the table, placing my head in my hands.

What would I say to Jacob? And if I figured that out, how would I say it? Should I just walk up to him, and let him see, or should I tell him right out? So many questions, and I had no time to answer them.

"_I'd rather you were dead!_" Jacob's old words floated through my mind. Although Jacob had said he was just upset the day he'd spoken those words, they still stung deep. Did some small part of him mean that? I didn't know if I could bear to see Jacob staring at me with indifferent eyes, as if I weren't really Bella anymore. But it wasn't really about me, was it? This was about giving Jacob a proper goodbye.

I hoped he would find his trump to a soul mate soon. Something that, like Edward, would not exist if the world was the sane place it was supposed to be. I wanted so badly to believe that Jacob could be happy. I would be sad, no doubt, but to see Jacob happy and smiling again would make my world complete—would put the last puzzle piece into place for me.

I had found my happy ending.

Jacob deserved the same.

I was so lost in my thoughts, that the sudden ringing of Edward's cell phone made me jump. I laughed at myself a little before picking up the phone and opened it.

"Hello?"

"Bella?" Jacob's voice sounded different, though I couldn't place how. It took me a minute to respond.

"You're back in La Push!"

"You're back in Forks," he replied. Relief was clear in his voice as well as in mine. Questions spilled out of the speaker. "Are you all right? When did you get back? What happened? Did any of the bloodsuckers hurt you? Where were you?"

"Woow, woow, Jake, slow down, all right?" he words still came in a rush when he spoke.

"Sorry, Bells, I was just kinda keyed up. I'm so glad you're okay. I was going crazy around here, but Sam said I couldn't go looking for you. Even when your coven came back a couple days ago, he told me not to interfere, cause of the treaty and all that. I'm just so glad you're all right, Bella."

"Yah," I agreed, "it's great to hear your voice."

"So you said there were some things we needed to talk about?" His enthusiasm was not curbed.

"I…" I hesitated. I had no idea how to do this.

"You can tell me anything."

"That's not the problem. I don't know if I should tell you over the phone or tell you in person."  
"Hmm, that's a tough one, considering I don't know what you're talking about. I think…" there was a pause and I could hear the burst of static that was his breath as he exhaled, "we should talk in person." His voice was so happy, so buoyant, it tore me up inside. I would be the one to strip that wide smile from his face…again.

"All right." Whatever he wanted. "Now?" I suggested.

"Sure, sure," Jacob agreed easily. "Your turf or ours?"

"Umm…" I wouldn't be allowed on the werewolves' land when they found out what I was, but he wasn't allowed past Forks into the forest now that the Cullens were back. But Forks was neutral.

That was the place where Jake and I would have our last goodbyes.

"Forks," I answered. He paused.

"Okay, where? Charlie's house? Doesn't he think you're still away on your honeymoon?"

"Yah. Not Charlie's." Saying his name out loud after so long made my stomach twist in strange ways. "The woods behind his house?" I suggested. I could almost hear him shrug on the other end of the line.

"Sounds as good a place as any."

"All right, Jake," I said, "I'll see you soon."

"See you, Bella. Bye." There was a click on the other end of the line as Jacob hung up the phone.

"Bye, Jake. Love you," I whispered into the dead phone a second too late.


	26. Chapter 25: Black Hole

Shooting Star

**CHAPTER 25: **_**Black Hole**_

I wasn't sure how to feel about meeting Jacob for probably the last time face to face.

It made me was to curl up into a ball and cry. Now that I was a vampire, the way I was, and the way I felt was frozen in time. The part of me that desperately loved Edward with a frightening intensity would never change. That part, I was ecstatic about. But the rest of me; the small little part of me that loved Jacob, always would, and there was no changing that now. I would have to take the good with the bad. What was my suffering compared to Jacob's option to move on.

On another hand, I wasn't worried about being thirsty around Jacob. From what I'd gathered, to vampires, werewolves weren't exactly a delicacy. Even if Jacob were human, I couldn't imagine harming him in anyway. But it was not the physical pain I was worried about. It was the pain that does not heal as easily as a scrape or a cut. A pain that time heals slowly.

And I would be the one to deliver the blow. The one who claimed she loved him, though it made no difference how little that mattered. I loved Jacob, yet all I did was cause him pain. I loved Edward, and the same thing happened.

I was a black hole.

I had known it from the beginning. I sucked everything around me into my bad luck and my trouble. Everyone who was close to me got hurt. It didn't matter whether it was an enemy bend on killing me that hurt them, or if I hurt them myself…everyone was hurt. Damage was rendered. All the trouble was centered on me, and those who I loved were always caught in the fall out. It was infuriating. And somehow, I had people—like Edward and Jacob, and Carlisle and Esme and Alice, and all the other Cullens, and my mom and dad—who loved me, and were willing to do anything _because_ they loved me and I couldn't do a thing about it.

So I just kept hurting them.

And they just kept taking it.

Because, for some insane, warped, twisted reason, they said they loved me.

I walked into the living room to find Edward sprawled on the couch. He looked up as I crossed the room slowly.

"Did you talk to Jacob?" He asked, jumping up, suddenly at my side. He grabbed my hand in his.

"Yah." I kept my eyes on the carpeted floor. "I'm going to meet him soon."

"That's good." I couldn't interpret the emotions in his voice, and I still didn't look at his voice.

"I'm going to go hunting first. I don't know how you stand it all the time."

"It gets better," he said, his voice softening a bit.

"I'm going to tell him goodbye," I told Edward. He did not reply, though I could feel the gaze of his golden eyes on me. "I won't talk to him in person again. After this we can move away and be a family."

"Do you want me to come hunting with you?"

"No, I want some time to think before I go talk to Jake." Out of the corner of my eye, I saw Edward nod. I looked up at him, and his face was an unemotional mask. "I'm sorry," I whispered, knowing how much pain it caused him when I brought up Jacob. Edward shook his head.

"Don't be sorry. I'm the one who should be sorry. I can tell that it hurts you, and I don't know what to do." I shook my head, leaning it into the crook of his neck and his shoulder. He wrapped his arms around me and I mirrored him.

"Don't do this now. Don't be Mr.I'm-Going-To-Twist-Everything-So-That-It's-My-Fault."

"I'm not," he argued. I smiled ruefully into his shoulder. Being immortal did not change the way he smelled to me. If anything, he smelled even more amazing, if that were possible. I sighed, lifting my head to look at him. Without a word, I pressed my lips gently to his.

"I love you. I know I've told you that a million times, but it doesn't change the fact. And I love you hardly covers it, but it's still true." His mouth twitched, but didn't shape into a complete smile.

"I know what you mean," he whispered. "You do whatever you need to, my Bella." I felt my hand slip off his cheek as I slipped out the door with the whisper:

"I'll be back soon."

I hunted alone, letting my instincts take over. I did not think of Jacob while I did. Soon I finished hunting, and ran towards Forks. I took a route through the woods, since it was the middle of the day.

Suddenly, with my intensified sense of smell, I pick up an old, musty scent, like a wet dog. I realized that this is what Jacob smelled like to the Cullens…and now to me. I followed the scent to a break between the trees. I sensed Jacob far off in the trees. With my new eyes, I saw a speck of brown far away, but I knew Jacob couldn't see that far. Jacob knew that vampires could hear from further away, so it didn't surprise me when he called out to me before he could see me.

"Ack, Bella! Why'd you have to bring your bloodsucker? I thought this was between us." I stopped where I was. He smelled vampire and thought it was Edward. This was going to be more difficult than I thought it was. I almost wished I was still mortal so I could cry.

But I needed to do this—for Jacob—no matter how hard this may be for me.

I kept walking until I was just outside his range of vision and paused. I took a deep breath—bracing myself before I slowly walked into the clearing.

I watched Jacob's face warily. A range of emotions flew across his features—anticipation, anxiety, confusion, shock, denial, more shock, horror—as I stopped twenty feet from him.

"I'm…sorry, Jake," I whispered, lowering my gaze to the mossy ground. There was silence for a long time. I couldn't speak. Words kept running around in my head, but I couldn't catch enough of them to form a sentence.

_Sorry… couldn't tell you… Volturi… promises… sorry._

I could hear a squirrel rustle in the bushes far away. I could hear cars on the road. I could hear heartbeats of humans almost as far as the road. I could hear Jacob's heart—strong and loud; feel the blood rushing through his veins. I could still smell the wet dog scent that seemed to be coming from Jacob. I saw and heard this all through my new senses. The sunlight filtered down through the trees and glittered off my skin.

"Bella…" I could hear the layers of emotion in Jacob's voice, though I didn't look up at him.

Anger. He must have been trying to keep his shape together. I wondered what must've been going through his mind.

Pain. That was the hardest. I could hear the hurt and betrayal layered thick as he spoke my name. I cringed as if the pain that laced through his voice had physically shot out like lightning and burned me.

"Why?" There was no anger in his voice this time. Only pain.

"I was dying, Jake," I said, my voice barely a whisper. Neither of us had moved an inch. I was still staring at the ground—unable to meet his gaze. "I would be dead right now if they hadn't helped me."

"You are dead." I looked up at Jacob, and he was staring at the ground, the same as I had been.

"No," I disagreed, "I'm here, talking to you."

"But you're one of them." The anger started to edge back into his voice. His black bangs hung down over his eyes. "You're a filthy _bloodsucker_, Bella!" I didn't say anything, his words stinging me deep. Never would I have thought Jacob would call me ­_that_ name. I stared at his bare feet. "Are you gonna start suckin' people's blood now? Charlie'll have a nice break from traffic jams; dealing with all the murder cases!"

"Shut up, Jacob!" I shouted at him. "It's not like that!"

"Oh, really?" He yelled back. With my improved vision, I could see his black eyes, burning bright with pain twisted into anger. "How so?"

"I'm not going to hurt people. You know me better than that. I'm still Bella."

"Really? Are you really? How can you still be Bella when your instincts tell you to kill people? How can you still be Bella when you don't trip over stuff all the time? You _can't_ be Bella anymore!" He shouted. I felt a stab through my heart.

Those words had been my exact concerns only a few weeks ago. The sword twisted in the wound as my eyes picked up tears glimmering in the corners of his eyes.

"You can't be Bella," he kept shouting, "when you smell like one of them, and your skin sparkles, and you have fricking _blood_ smeared on you cheeks!" I lifted a hand to the corner of my lips, horrified as I feel a faint crusty texture of dried blood there. I wiped it off hastily.

"Jake, I—"

"Just save it. You're not the girl I fell in love with." He turned to walk away.

"No! Jake, wait!" I shouted. He stopped, turning back to me, his eyes narrowed into to suspicious slits, angry tears still glittering in the corners of his eyes. It cut me through the middle again.

"What? You have thirty seconds to make me stay, _bloodsucker_." I flinched as he drove the sword deeper.

"Jake, I'm still Bella. Remember when we built those motorcycles together in your garage, and I kept crashing when I tried to ride them? And remember when I traded a lifetime of slavery for a box of candy hearts on Valentine's Day?

"And remember when we went to the movies with Mike Newton and he ended up puking his guts out? You can't just forget all the fun times we had together? We go deeper than this, Jake. Whatever happened to "I think maybe I'd still take you after"? You're my best friend, Jacob. Don't do this to me now."

I hoped my words were enough.

He paused, balanced on the balls of his feet. The silence stretched like it had before, only I was waiting—I had said my piece.

Finally, Jacob turned back to me, and gave me one agonized look before rushing at me. There was a split second of fear when I thought he was trying to kill me, but then his strong arms wrapped around my waist, and I felt tears falling down his cheeks—dripping onto my face. He felt so warm and _human_. I hugged him back, careful to be gentle as not to hurt him.

"God, Bella," he choked, his hand sliding over my hair.

"I don't want this to be goodbye, Jake, but it has to be," I whispered into his broad chest. He smelled awful, but I didn't care. He was still Jacob and a small part of me still—and always would—love him.

"I know, honey. And it hurts." I felt as if I was about to cry, but no tears came. I couldn't speak, so I just nodded. We stayed like that for a long time, just hugging, remembering—our unspoken goodbyes.

"Well," I said in a shaky voice, laughing a little, "we're certainly something you don't see everyday." He laughed with me—melancholy amusement echoed of the silent trees.

"I think we could be the world's first vampire-werewolf couple. Wha'da'ya say?" He was smiling, but it didn't touch his eyes.

"Sorry, I'm kinda already taken," I joked back.

"Darn it," he snapped his fingers in defeat.

"Didn't this already happen?" I asked, laughing a bit.

"Yah, I think it did."

"Déjà vu," he told me. I really, _really_ wished I could cry. I wanted to so badly. Tears still oozed out of Jacob's eyes, and it dug the sword deeper and deeper.

"I'm a black hole, Jake," I admitted, pressing myself to his chest again. "I suck everyone I'm close to out of the light. I'm horrible, and I shouldn't be able to hurt people this way! Why would anyone love a black hole?"

"Maybe because we're all masochists?" He suggested. I laughed emptily.

"Possibly," I allowed.

"Or maybe there's something to be said about being drawn towards danger. You would know all about that, wouldn't ya', Bells?" He elbowed me in the ribs. I still felt like I wanted to cry.

"Yah. I'm the expert." Silence surrounded us.

"Say something, Bells," Jacob prompted. His voice was rough, as if he had something in his throat.

"This is killing me, Jake." I admitted. _God_, how I wanted to cry. He just nodded, wiping his eyes with the back of his wrist, and laughed.

"You're immortal now. It's not that easy to kill you anymore."  
"I'm being serious," I informed him. My voice shook as would if I were able to cry.

"I'm just…trying to joke, Bella. If I joke, it doesn't hurt as much," he admitted. More tears fell freely down his cheek.

"Why can't I stop hurting you?" I asked desperately, burying my face in his chest again.

"You can't help but hurt the ones you love, Bells," he told me. I just shook my head and pressed myself tighter to him.

"You know I wish it were enough," I whispered. I felt him nod, his chin on the top of my head. I pulled away far, far too soon, and let him go—feeling the heat drain away as I retracted my arms from around him.

"I guess this is goodbye," Jacob said. I nodded.

"Face to face," I clarified, "Phone calls are allowed. Emails too." "What if something big happens?" He asked.

"Then that's allowed."

"Sure, sure."

I didn't reply. He didn't speak again either, just stood there, drinking me in. I did the same, engraining him into my memory; trying to etch every detail into my mind.

After an immeasurable length of time, he looked up, and so did I, staring at him expectantly.

"Well, Jake," I took in a deep breath, "goodb—" He put a hand over my mouth and shook his head.

"No goodbyes." More tears spilled down his beautiful russet colored cheeks. "Just turn around and walk away." I nodded, drew in a shaky breath, and did as he asked.

I sprinted off into the green forest without so much as a backwards glance.


	27. Chapter 26: Stars

Shooting Star

**CHAPTER 26: **_**Stars**_

I ran back to the Cullens' as fast as I could.

When I burst through the door there was a brief second when I was glad I was unable to cry. Edward was already there as I ran for the stairs, and caught me in his arms. Although I was now exponentially stronger than him as a newborn, I let him sweep my feet out from beneath me effortlessly and carry me up the stairs as I collapsed against his chest and broke down.

He supported me, one arm around my back, the other under my knees, as I sobbed tearless cries of anguish and he carried me up to his bedroom. Once there, he set me down on the bed and just held me while I sobbed without tears.

I was over shorted this time. I had already made the choice once. This grief was not over the loss of a love—the loss of a future. This was grief over losing a friend. Once again Edward only cradled me in his arms as I wept, only this time I did not stain his shirt with salt water—there was none.

I was a bull in a china shop, a black hole.

And yet people kept loving me, and I kept hurting them. It was my nature, and I couldn't help it. Every time I turned around and tried to do something right, I knocked over something else and it smashed against the floor.

So much damage.

Too much.

It was all because of me.

And I couldn't stand it.

It took only an hour this time for me to "cry" myself out this time. I finally opened my eyes to Edward's anxious gaze.

"I'm sorry," I apologized softly. "And after I promised it wouldn't happen again."

"Bella…" Edward didn't finish, only brushed a strand of hair away from my face.

"I'm okay now."

"You look like you're in quite a bit of pain," he observed. I looked down to find my fingers were anxiously clenching and unclenching around a fold of the bed sheet.

"Only a little now," I assured him. My hands still convulsed against the bed sheet.

"What can I do?" His voice had an edge of desperation in it.

"Just hold me," I whispered.

We sat like that for a long time—my head on his chest, his hand stroking my hair.

I was done.

I was done grieving for Jacob Black.  
He was a chapter of my life that had ended, and he was gone. I had grieved, oh how I had grieved. But even in the darkest of nights, there are shooting stars. I had made a wish on mine, and it had come true. Edward had once compared me to a meteor, filling his sky with brilliancy. But that was him in my sky he was describing.

Edward was my meteor—my shooting star.

And he'd crashed to earth and crushed the life I'd known with the brilliancy of his beauty and his love. He was shining so brightly, so brilliantly, that not even the power of the black hole I was could extinguish its light.

And now, there was no going back. I had sucked the sun out of orbit and into the darkness. But I didn't need the sun when I had my very own star. I had said goodbye to the sun, and was going to have to live with that choice. I knew the tear in my heart would always burn a bit, but it was a part of me.

My hands ran along the bed sheets with pent up energy.

"What can I do?" Edward asked again.

"Distract me," I pleaded.

"How?" He asked desperately. I chewed my lip, trying not to think of the friend I'd left behind.

"Well," my fingers kneaded the blanket, "we never did get…our wedding night?" My voice went uncertain and high as I finished my sentence that came out sounding more like a question. Something flickered in his golden eyes, but it was gone too fast for me to recognize what it was.

"Whatever you need, love," he whispered into my ear, and gathered me to him. "I'm so sorry I didn't keep my promise."

"I don't really mind," I confessed. "We're here now, aren't we? And we're together, right? Nothing else matters." He smiled ruefully.

"And now, I don't have to worry about killing you the entire time." I giggled to cover up my embarrassment.

"You can just sit back and enjoy it," I joked back. He chuckled. Uncertainty entered his eyes.

"Bella I—" I put a hand over his mouth, silencing him.

"Don't be afraid," I murmured. "We belong together."

I was abruptly overwhelmed by the truth of my own words.

This moment was so perfect, so right; there was no way to doubt it. He wrapped his arms around me, holding me tighter against him.

It felt like every nerve ending in my body was a live wire.

"Forever," he agreed.

"Forever," I whispered back.

And then Edward bent to press his lips to mine.


	28. Epilogue Happy Endings

Shooting Star

**EPILOGUE: **_**Happy Endings**_

If had been five years since the Cullens—and that included Tessa, Erin, and myself—had moved away from Forks. We were now living in northern Canada.

I sat down at my lap top and pulled up the internet browser. It popped up, fully loaded faster than I could blink.

Nothing but the best for the Cullens.

I decided it was time to tackle my large pile of emails I'd been ignoring, and clicked on the icon. No surprise that there was one from my mother, but the one from Charlie surprised me. I opened that one first.

Hey, Bells.

I just decided to check up on you. Are you and Edward doing all right? I haven't heard from you lately, so I was just wondering how everything was.

Love,

Dad

I smiled to myself. Short and to the point as always. I clicked reply.

hey dad, it's bella.

edward and I r doing great. Srry i hvn't written — i've just been out a lot. i hope ur not getting 2 lonely in Forks all by urself. grin Tell Billy hi for me nxt time u c him.

I'd heard no news in five years and I didn't dare think of the other name now. I typed a quick "Love, Bella," and hit send. I sighed and double clicked on the email from my mother.

Bella.

You haven't been writing much lately, I'm worried. Is everything going all right up in Canada? You didn't get snowed in, did you? Anyway, how are you and Edward doing? Still no kids? What are you two doing all day, kiddo? I want some grandkids soon! Just kidding. Take your time. I'm proud of you Bella. I wish you would come visit Phoenix more often though; I'm getting kinda lonely since Phil got promoted and is a hot shot major league player now. Tell Esme and Alice I said hi… well, tell everyone I said hi, but them most of all. Planning your wedding was so much fun with them. I know that was a long time ago, but I just had so much fun! Well, I'll let you get on with your day.

Love you, Bella!

Lots of Love,

Mom

Renee was exhausting sometimes. The kids part struck a chord. Edward and I would never have children, but it was a small price to pay for eternity with each other. I sighed and clicked the "Save as New" button. I'd write back later.

To my surprise, I found an email in my mailbox with Angela's email address. We'd emailed back and forth for a while after high school, but they had dribbled down to little more than Merry Christmas emails, so I wondered why she would be writing me now. It was May. I opened it.

hey, bella,

we hvn't talked in a while, but i've got sum gr8 news. _ben and i are getting married!_ isn't that gr8! u'll get an official invitation in the mail soon, but i just wanted 2 give u a heads up.

Oh and how are you and edward doing? best wishes 2 u both!

Angela

"Checking your email?" A silky voice asked from behind me, and I felt a hand on my shoulder.

"Yup."

"Angela?" He asked in surprise as his eyes quickly scanned the screen.

"She and Ben are getting married. Can we go?" Angela had been one of my best friends through the whole difficult period the fall of my senior year.

"If you think you're ready for that." In my lifetime as a vampire, my record was as clean as Carlisle's. I had not taken a single human life. In fact, I was disgusted by the idea so much, that every time I felt the venom spring up in my throat when I looked at a human, it made me nauseous.  
"Of course I'm ready."  
"Depends on where they're having the wedding, though," Edward murmured. I nodded and typed a quick reply and sent it. There was another email from my mother, and I didn't even bother to open it. Edward sighed.

"I'll leave you to your social life," he smirked. I stuck my tongue out at him and looked back at the screen. I felt lips give me a swift kiss on the cheek "Love you," he whispered, and I shivered.

"Love you too." I smiled warmly at him before turning back to the computer. I was alone now, and I scrolled through the rest of my emails. Junk mail…advertisements…another email from my mother…

I stopped. There was an email with an address I didn't recognize.

Unknown Sender... (no subject)

_What?_ I wondered to myself. I clicked open the email. The words took my breath away.

Hey, Bells.

i know this is probly a shock, but dn't freak, k? It's Jacob.

My eyes seemed stuck on those two words, refusing to let me read on. After five years… I finally wrenched my eyes away and read more.

U said email wuz fine as long as its big news, well i've got some big news. Long story short, Sam Quil Embry and i were visiting the Makah reservation the other day, and, well…

It was like my body sensed it coming. I stiffened in my chair.

Well, nxt time ur down around forks, there's sum1 i wnt u 2 meet. i think you'll like her.

My first reaction was pain—pain that Jacob had moved on. But then it easily subsided into relief and happiness. Jacob had found her…his trump to a soul mate. I would have to find an excuse to come down around Forks to meet this girl of his.

Like I'd said once, I probably wouldn't think she was good enough for him. But I would like to see what kind of girl it was he ended up imprinting on.

I had found my happy ending.

And after the seven years of hell I'd put him through, Jacob had finally found his. I felt so happy for Jacob. Like his joy was spilling into me the way his pain always had. I couldn't keep the corners of my lips from pulling back into a brilliant smile.

I quickly signed off and flipped the lap top shut.

Almost everyone had found some kind of happy ending. Maybe it's not the fairy tale they expected, but most of their stories had magic to help it along.

Me and Edward.

Jacob and the girl he'd imprinted on who I had yet to meet.

Sam and Emily, and all the other werewolves.

The rest of the Cullens.

Everyone had found their version of a happy ending.

And then the ordinary kinds of happy endings—the ones that happened without the aid of a pinch of fairy dust.

Angela and Ben.

Renee and Phil

I couldn't help wonder about the others… like whatever happened to Mike Newton, or Tyler Crowley. Whatever happened to Austin Marks, or Jessica Stanley? Had they gotten their happy endings?

And what about Tanya? Surely she deserved a happy ending as much as the rest of them? Would she find it someday?

All I could do now was wonder, and hope for the best.  
All I could do now was guess, and hope the sun was shining today so Edward and I could go lie in the sun together and watch the rainbows our skin threw into the peaceful spring air.

I walked up the stairs feeling a bit strange.

"Done already?" I looked up. Edward was leaning against the stair railing. I shrugged.

"I'll finish later."

"Sounds good." I sighed as I felt the tension I hadn't realized was building up in me released as he slid his fingers though mine.

And although it was a bit cliché, I whispered under my breath:

"And they all lived happily ever after."

Edward gave me a strange look and I giggled before pressing my lips softly against the ones belonging to my very own happy ending.

The End

Thank you everyone for reading my version of Breaking Dawn! It took me exactly…looking at file dates about two months to finish this. It is 175 pages in Microsoft Word in 14 pt font. GO ME!

Guess what? I finished this on **AUGUST 1****ST** about three hours before going to the release party.

**I DID IT GUYS! I FINISHED IT BEFORE THE BOOK CAME OUT! **God, I was writing like a chapter a day and I was dying, but I got it done!

Once again I don't own any of the character. They belong to Stephenie Meyer. The only profit I am making off this story is to have all these ideas stop pinging around inside my skull at three in the morning.

I can't wait to read Breaking Dawn tonight!!


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